Kozhikode: Mimicry artists, who create ripples of laughter in their audience, are dealing with an issue that is not funny. They are up in arms against the step motherly attitude of the state government and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy (KSNA) towards the art-form and artistes. They claim repeated harassment instead of promoting them.
The immediate provocation is the reported comment of Soorya Krishnamoorthy, chairman, KSNA belittling mimicry artistes in public and also the steps taken to withdraw a state honour given to mimicry artistes.
Reacting to the comments, renowned artist and state award winner Kottayam Naseer, talking to DC, asked “If mimicry is not a decent art-form how could the state recognize actors like Dileep, Jayaram, Mukesh and many others who started their career as mimicry artistes? “We are loved by the audience around the globe. If the academy is not ready to recognise mimcry as an art-form, we are not bothered”, he added.
Kerala Kala Samskarika Vedi president Ajay Kallai, himself a mimicry artist, told DC that for many years, mimicry artistes were treated as untouchables by the academy. “The attempt to withdraw the awards given to artistes Ramesh Pisharadi and Kottayam Nazeer by the academy, was the last of the shameful series”, he added.
“They say that mimicry cannot be considered as an art-form and mimics are not artistes. Till date we haven’t received any benefits from the government”, he lamented.
However Soorya Krishnamoorthy told DC that it was clearly written in the academy norms not to include mimicry and orchestra as art-forms. “I took action against those who received awards in tune with the regulations”, he said, adding that there was no personal hatred to the art-form or artistes.
