In Tamil, ‘badava’ usually refers to a mischievous or cheeky person.
It is not something complementary. But Gopi loves it; a sobriquet he has proudly worn for more than 25 years now.
“When I entered the creative space, there were many people named Gopi; there was a ‘dubbing Gopi’ and a ‘special effects Gopi’. I wanted something that would stand out,” he recalls, “A group of us ran a comedy group called ‘Mimic Badavas’, and that’s how the name ‘Badava’ stuck. If I didn’t have this, people would probably say , ‘Oh that guy who has a funny face’ or something like that while referring to me! ‘Badava’ Gopi simplifies this.”
A well-known face among Tamil audiences, Gopi — who wears the multiple hats of comedian, mimic, singer and commentator — is now doing his first live ticketed stand-up comedy show this weekend. Titled ‘Big Mouth’, it will be a blend of all the skills with which he has entertained audiences for many years.
“I need to re-invent myself time and again, because I believe my only competition is myself. The most popular format today seems to be stand-up comedy, and I see that as a means for my content to reach the present generation,” he says.
Stand-up shows today are mostly about comedians narrating incidents from their life or workplace, but Gopi believes that his USP is the variety he can offer on stage“My investment is my mouth. I can make you experience the sound of any automobile in the world,” says Gopi, before giving us a sample: of a motorbike whizzing past. “Now imagine listening to this live. I assure that this will be a great experience.”
Such audio elements, packed with humour, is what ‘Big Mouth’ will be. “It’s all about narration. Tamil comedy legends like Nagesh and Koundamani were stand-up comics due to the way they narrated particular incidents. Vadivelu, for instance, is probably the world’s best stand-up comedian, because give him a topic like, a street in Madurai, and he can narrate stories humourously for an hour and keep you engaged.”
Tamil actor ‘Badava’ Gopi | Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas
Screen time
Gopi has also had trysts with the cinema fraternity.“I was performing on the first floor of a venue, while the ground floor was playing host to director K Balachandar’s 75th birthday celebrations. There was thunderous applause at my show, and that drew his attention. Director Vasanth, who was his assistant then, came up to see our show for a bit, and communciated what he saw to KB sir. After the show, Vasanth asked me if I was interested in acting, and I was taken aback.”
An audition took place in director K Balachandar’s Warren Road office, and Gopi — armed with a tip from director Vasanth that the role in question was a Bengali character — went prepared, dressed in a white pyjama and pant “There was a long queue, but I walked straight in and screamed a few lines in Bengali. Everyone looked at me puzzled but KB understood that I had come in looking for an acting opportunity,” he recalls, of the events that led to his casting in 2006 Tamil film Poi.
One thing led to another and Gopi soon found fame as a cricket commentator in director Venkat Prabhu’s hit Tamil film Chennai 600028, with some of his lines used as memes even now.
Up next for Gopi is film direction. He has written a fun-filled entertainer with the idea of casting cricketer MS Dhoni in its lead. “Hopefully, it will happen sometime.”
Big Mouth will be held on June 18, 7.30pm at Medai, Alwarpet. For tickets, visit bookmyshow
