Her short curly hair, sturdy physique and modern attire confuse you. The journalist was expecting an interview at the Hotel Le Meridian, but she couldn’t fail to notice this lady who passed by her, which ignited a faint memory of a character which was once loved by all. It was none other than the bespectacled, garrulous Lola Kutty, the VJ avatar of Anuradha Menon, as Channel [V]’s resident beauty on duty.
The first question that pops up when you hear the name Lola Kutty is, where did she disappear to? It is hard to forget the heavily-accented Mallu girl clad in Kanjeevaram saris and wearing jasmine flowers on her hair. Many miss her, and for that she jokes, “Please send a letter to Channel [V] to bring back the show. I have a kid to send to college.”
Her stern voice, kind mannerisms, and not-so-Lola Kutty type of humour takes you aback, for that’s the least you expect out of Lola Kutty. Her normal accent and composed nature takes you through a mini-movie of all her performances when she was in character. Then she laughed and said in a low voice, “I don’t wish to be recognised as Lola Kutty here.” For seven years she entertained her viewers as Lola Kutty, so what is she up to these days? The artiste is settled in Mumbai for the last 11 years.
“I married a Gujarati and have a three-and-a-half-year old son. Right now, I am mainly into theatre and stand-up comedy. I last appeared in the 2014 movie Happy New Year as a television reporter. At some corporate shows, I do appear as Lola Kutty,” says Anuradha. Other than that, she also gave the opening act when Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie came touring in India for their show Whose line is it anyway?
The artiste also doesn’t mince words when it comes to what life doesn't offer her. “I try to audition for ads but I usually don't get through because of my hair.” The artiste was in Kochi recently for a theatre gig, One on One — Part 2, playing the role of a day in a mother’s life. On her term as Lola Kutty, she elaborates.
“I will say I made existence of Malayalis and the state of Kerala known to those in north with my Lola avatar. For those in the North, South Indian means Madrasi. I defied the stereotypes of South Indians as dark and buck-toothed in appearance. I changed that, isn’t that better? One thing people couldn’t accept was where many thought I was punching on the actual ethos of a spinster woman. I got so many good responses for my character and I got only one hate mail from a guy named Bejoy in my term as Lola Kutty for seven years, saying he hopes God forgives me for what I do,” laughs Anuradha.
She further adds, people only take offence when she characterises a Mallu in a certain way. “Once I had to perform as a Punjabi for a standup comedy. Malayalis who watched it took it so well. They get upset only when I step in as a Mallu. That is hypocrisy,” she laughs. Yet, she says she is a proud Malayali even though she was born and brought up Chennai.
Was she always this funny? “My first stage performance was when I was 14 and I haven’t shut my mouth since then,” says Anuradha. So, where does she draw inspiration from? “I usually take instances from what happened in my life and I never go about the world happening,” adds Anuradha. And, what does she do during her free time? “What to do when your hobby becomes your job, there is no free time at all,” she signs off cheerfully.
