From Baahubali to Avengers, movies get spoof makeovers as fans get creative
Laughter riot: A still from Baahu Aur Bali, a spoof on Rajamouli's Baahubali
It’s not for nothing that they say imitation is the best form of flattery — and going by the current trend, filmmakers should be feeling very flattered indeed. With the Dubsmash rage suitably adding to this phenomenon, YouTube has been flooded with spoof videos of some of the best and popular films. What’s intriguing now is the amount of time, effort, thought and money spent even by professional filmmakers as well as enthusiasts to bring out noteworthy pastiches.
Some may call it a good-natured tribute; others may term it as a mean insult, but there’s no denying that these short videos are popular — one only needs to look at their view count and social media shares. So, what exactly drives these spoofsters? “Everyone has an artistic and creative side to them, and my college buddies and I wanted to explore it. We started off with spoof photo shoots based on themes like retro and family — then moved on to our first video: Baahu Aur Bali!” grins entrepreneur Pravin Shekar, who made the video under the banner Cool Jillax with his friends.
A ridiculous take on S.S. Rajamouli’s magnum opus, Baahu Aur Bali, involves everything from kitschy war costumes to even a pre-battle selfie, and Pravin adds that it was great fun to shoot it. He says, “Our director Gokul even had us rummage through shops for armour plates and swords, and hunt for locations. We are all over 40 years of age, and really just looking to have a good time. All in all, it was a memorable experience and we plan to keep at it.”
Currently, Dhanush-starrer Maari rules the roost when it comes to this mania, with hundreds of fan-made spoofs taking over social media. But it’s not just Tamil films that find favour with parodies, as the YouTube channel ‘Put Chutney’ shows. It fully extracted mirth at the cost of some Hollywood superheroes with their smash hit videos, showing what would happen if Batman and The Avengers were in South India!
“It was really a marriage of two worlds — how many of us have watched these films and been fascinated at the idea of these characters in namma ooru? For instance, Batman uses his skills to get ahead in the line at the local TASMAC. Whereas the Avengers, after finding no villains to fight, offer their services for everyday chores such as Captain America using his shield to provide shade from the sun,” laughs Creative Director at Put Chutney, Rajiv Rajaram.
What about those actors who are actually being spoofed? We don’t have to look far to find someone whose dialogues have been impersonated for ages — from Neelambari in Padayappa to Sivagami in Baahubali — Ramya Krishna. “Honestly, I’m thrilled. It makes me realise my performance has won favour amidst all the other brilliant parts of the movie, and that’s quite flattering. Neelambari will always remain special in my heart, especially since it had Rajinikanth opposite me. But I’m equally happy about the praise our efforts in Baahubali are receiving,” she smiles. Maybe it’s safe to say that spoofsters can rejoice after all!
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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