“Mime is an eloquent and efficient delivery of a mood or a message in which the body is the primary instrument,” is what the legendary mime artiste, Tony Montanaro, had said. And Arusum Madhu, popularly known as Mime Madhu, strongly believes in this.
A native of Warangal, he has dedicated all his life to taking the art form to all. Now, he is back in the town to share the techniques and nuances of mime with the local artistes in a workshop to be held from July 3 to 15.
“Mime is the base for all other art forms. Certain immature artistes had reduced its worth and had people believing that it’s something done by clowns and comedians. But it’s a serious and thought-provoking art form,” Mr. Madhu told The Hindu here on Sunday.
In his career spanning two decades, he has had the rare opportunity of being invited to France where he shared the techniques he knew with the youngsters there. He has also visited the U.S. on a similar mission.
“I began learning mime at the age of 12 from my teacher P. Nagabushanam in Warangal and later went to Kolkata to perfect the art,” he explained.
He has given performances across the globe and has won many laurels. He established the Indian Mime Academy in Hyderabad in 2002 to popularise the art form by conducting seminars and workshops.
“We conduct workshops exclusively for children to not only showcase their limitless talent, but to help them develop confidence using mime as a conduit,” Mr. Madhu said.
The present workshop titled Uttanam would be held at Haritha Kakatiya Hotel in Hanamkonda from Monday.
To build confidence
“Mime develops an artiste’s ability to shape the entire body to speak like mouth,” he said. To achieve this, the workshop would have lessons on facial expressions, hand signals and body motions. According to him, it builds confidence, helps in communication, teaches body movements, moulds facial expressions and contributes to the overall growth of an individual.
Those interested can register by calling Mr. Madhu on 9849279733.
