A performer's lockdown alter ego uses comedy to engage in social commentary
A still from one of Rao's videos
Paru is a Malayali woman with a migrant-worker husband. In her thick accented English (and occasionally Hindi), she talks about the COVID crisis in a curious tone with an alternative, often nonsensical take on the news around us. These two to three-minute video and some audio performances have been doing the rounds on WhatsApp before performer Maya Krishna Rao decided to collate all of it on her social media page. "There are various reasons for having created Paru. It wasn't premeditated. In the first few weeks of the lockdown there was a sense of restlessness. It started dawning on me that there will be a lot of uncertainty following this time. It was my way of surviving the lockdown," says Rao, adding that this is the first time she has taken to the online medium. "I realised that there were many people doing online performances and the audience exists," she explains.
A Delhi-based performer and activist known for her solo acts like Loose Woman, Rao did not want to replicate her existing performances or form for new work. "I had also been away from comedy for a long time and felt I should return now. Comedy, if done well, can convey a lot more in an incisive manner than a serious tone," she elaborates. Inspiration struck on Vishu (April 14) and Paru, inspired by a grand-aunt and some of her older characters from plays, came into being. "She lives in a different plane and has a different, often nonsensical take on everything. In her own way, she manages to make sense of all that's happening in the world with COVID," Rao explains. She doesn't give in to the pressure of following a schedule and posts when she is inspired with material. She doesn't stick to a fixed template in terms of form either. The videos feature quirky artwork by Mansi Thapliyal that develop Paru's world, with a tiger and a daughter.
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Following the rail accident involving 16 migrant workers, Rao wanted to do something. She knew comedy that produces laughter was not the way. "Instead, I went with an audio format and a serious tone there," she says. While Paru remains the central character, sometimes her Punjabi neighbour makes an appearance and you get an insight of her perspectives on the issues too.
Log on to @maya.k.rao on Instagram
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