25 years of satire

It is 25 years since the first one-man show of Nandakishor was held at Kozhikode Town Hall, in 1992. It had amused the audience to watch a new concept of humour that combined classical art forms of Chakyar Koothu, Pathakam and theatre. Two-and-a-half decades later, Nandakishor has performed in more than 10,000 stages, acted in 50 films and written two books on humour, with one bagging Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award, in 2006.

Now, friends and well-wishers of the artiste have come together with the Nalanda Cultural and Charitable Trust, to honour him for completing 25 years of solo humour shows. It will be held at Sahithya Akademi Hall, Thrissur, on May 15 at 5 p.m. 

Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Gopi and Kalamandalam vice-chancellor T.K. Narayanan will be attending the event.

“My shows which started as ‘Namboothiri Palithangal (jokes)’ has evolved over the years. In the 1990s, it was more or less within the frameworks of Chakyar Koothu, Pathakam and theatre with a focus on satire. Since 2000, I am trying to break out of the narrative structures of classical art forms and have tried to address humour more liberally by taking in different themes and subjects. But, the satirical undertones still remain the essence of my shows,” he says. He has also performed shows for All India Radio and television channels.

While dealing with humour and satire, he made it a point not to make fun of any individuals or political parties of socio-cultural organisations. “I have taken a dig at failed five-year plans and flopped policies of different governments.  I have also tried to evoke humour by narrating the changes Kerala society has gone through over the decades, in its attitude, dressing, language and other aspects,” Nandakishor says.

He says that the sensibility of the audience has changed considerably. Now, performers like him need to be very careful in choosing each and every word. “Whether it is politics or religion, those with a radical view are on the rise. If people tend to believe that only their views and beliefs are correct, it will lead to radicalisation and humour has no place in such a scenario. The freedom which artists like me had in the choice of words and themes earlier, does not exist now,” he notes.

However, with his humourous narrative skills, Nandakishor still manages to quote lines from Bible during shows held on a temple premise or chant a sloka from Hindu scriptures at the courtyard of a Church, if the situation demands.

Nandakishor, who did a much-appreciated role in the movie Oru Mexican Aparatha, says the greatest award he received in his life as an artiste was an appreciation from actor Jagathy Sree Kumar. After their first combination scene in Vinayapoorvam Vidyadharan, the first movie of Nandakishor, Jagathy gave a pat on his shoulder and said that he had a bright future in acting. “I told Jagathy that those words of appreciation were more than an Oscar to me,” he says.