A group of mimicry artistes in Kerala turn to YouTube to overcome lockdown curbs

‘Avastha’, a mini-web series on the effect of lockdown, has won them a dedicated following As a wannabe bridegroom discusses the ‘gifts’ the woman might get from her father as he is a ‘government employee’, he learns to his dismay that she is actually his new boss before he is thrown out of the house. Part of a web mini-series, Avastha (situation or state of being), this episode is one the many that has gone viral on social media. To circumvent restrictions of lockdown, many stage artistes have taken to YouTube and Whatsapp with talk shows, music programmes, comedies and mini-series to earn a living.Devaraj Dev, a mimicry artiste from Kozhikode, decided to try his hand at writing and directing web series. After some of his three- and four-minute shows became popular, he decided to make a series of light-hearted episodes on the lockdown.“Avastha is an honest look at how the lockdown has affected our lives, including animate and inanimate objects,” says Devaraj. “We also take up whatever is trending in the news. I sent an episode to Millenium Audios and Videos who have a channel to promote shows on YouTube. They liked the idea and are producing all the…
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