Like everybody else from the field of entertainment, Vinod Kovoor has plenty of free time on hand these days. But, the actor has found a nice way to beat the blues of the lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Through his Facebook page, he is giving lessons in mimicry and music to children. He would soon also be teaching mono-act, his forte.
“I have been conducting lessons regularly for the past 10 days, and am happy that I could reach out to so many children like this,” Vinod told The Hindu here on Thursday. “Since our students are deeply into extra-curricular activities, thanks largely to our School Arts Festival, I thought I would shoot a video daily sitting at home here in the city, on my mobile phone.”
Before Vinod attained stardom, he was a much sought-after trainer in mono-act and mimicry. “There was a time when I used to train as many 18 students on a single day,” he said. “The response has been great to my classes online, too; students are sending me the clippings of their performances after listening to me.”
Through his videos, he teaches them the technique and nuances of mimicry. He has already given useful tips about producing sounds of different musical instruments.
“I am also introducing them to some of the great children’s songs that I grew up listening to,” he said. “I used to adore that audio cassettes brought by Tharangini; I still could sing those songs, rendered by Yesudas and K.S. Chithra, from memory.”
Through his videos, Vinod also advises children to spend the free time more usefully. “You know there are things that they could do now in these trying times, like playing chess, which is so good for your mind,” he said. “I also ask them to read newspapers and not to depend only on television for news.”
Vinod feels it would be quite a while before he could start shooting again. “Two of my films had to be postponed, while on TV, the previous episodes of my show are being aired,” he said. “But I have recently made a six-minute short film, on a man who is forced to remain in quarantine, after returning home from abroad.”
Life is a lot about making the best out of the worst.
