Among the many memes that are doing the rounds, the one featuring Brahmanandam saying, ‘ Dhairyanga daggi, thrupthigaa thummi enni rojulaindho ’, is finding resonance with everyone. The king of comedy’s signature expression was an instant hit and went viral in no time.
When people were homebound owing to the lockdown, one got to see repeat telecasts of movies and serials even as new content was streamed on OTT platforms on an unprecedented scale. Despite this, it is video compilations of Brahmanandam’s comedy scenes that flooded the YouTube space. While his comedy clips have always made for a relaxed viewing, the rise in the number of views in the last four months has been phenomenal, with the latest one receiving 63K views.
Is the veteran actor aware of this surge in interest in his videos? “Are they? I don’t have access to YouTube, I don’t have WhatsApp,” he informs us calmly over phone, much to our surprise. So how is the ace comedian, who was ubiquitous in nearly 1,100 films, spending time these days? “I’ve taken up singing,” he says and pauses before he adds, “But people are already suffering from corona, and I shouldn’t inflict more pain, so I stopped.”
As the giggling from this side subsides, he continues, “I’ve never said this in any interview before and I don’t know if it’s right for a comedian to reveal this, but I spend my time reading — books on Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Osho, Ramana Maharshi, Vivekananda, Ved Vyasa — I try to understand their philosophy. Philosophy is nothing but the truth.”
Elaborating on why he had been apprehensive about revealing his passion for reading, Brahmanandam says it is the ‘comedian image’ that he has had to be watchful about. “When you come across an elephant, a lion and a monkey, the respective reactions will be according to what’s expected. Similarly, a Chaganti (known for his discourses on Sanatana Dharma), a Chiranjeevi or an Amitabh Bachchan will elicit reactions based on their image and portrayals in public life. So you will stop laughing at my comedy if you know of my reading pursuits or my off-screen mindset,” he reasons.
Another passion that Brahmanandam found time to pursue is to draw and to sculpt. “I’ve always been interested in sculpting. In fact, I had started sculpting small figures even before the lockdown. Sculpting requires tremendous concentration and the way you hold your breath while carving intricate lines calls for hard work and dedication. It gives me a lot of satisfaction.”
Life still goes on
Except for not attending shooting, Brahmanandam says his lifestyle has not changed much as he never had a social life. “I’ve never seen a post-8.30 pm sky in Hyderabad. If I’m required to attend a function or a film-related event, I’m there, otherwise, I’m home most of the time,” he says.
These days, Brahmanandam is troubled by the communal divide and abuse in the name of religion among people. In trying to understand the core of all faiths, he read a Telugu translation of the Koran given to him by his school friend Yousuf Khan. “Yousuf has a purity that made me want to know more about his faith. Similarly, I read the Old and New Testament as well.”
Bringing him back to his thousands of comedy clips that are doing the rounds, we ask if there is a favourite scene and he exclaims, “How can I choose from 1,100 movies?” Reiterating that he had only been following the scripts and sticking to the dialogues given to him by the writers, he says it is his ability to come up with a range of expressions that made him such an iconic actor. “It’s important for all actors. From NTR and ANR days; I’ve acted with many generations of actors and I had to adapt to my co-actors’ style of acting and dialogue delivery. In the end, one should be successful in bringing out the essence of comedy,” he says.
Thirty five years in the industry and consistently enacting comedy scenes, did he ever get bored? “I have two answers for this; You can choose one,” he says. Can I mention both, I ask. He laughs and says, “Well, first, how many people get this kind of opportunity? It’s a blessing to act and be part of this industry as an artiste. Second, money. If I can earn well and make my children’s lives secure, why not?”
