Circus goes digital, first virtual show tomorrow

KOCHI:  An unforeseen positive impact of the pandemic and the resultant lockdown is the digital revolution that has taken place in all spheres of life. From movie releases to book launches,  every event has gone online. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is circus. Rambo Circus, which has roots in Kerala and features many Malayali artists, will hold its first virtual show on September 25. Titled ‘Life is a circus,’ the pre-recorded show will feature trapeze acts to acrobatic stunts. The ticketed virtual event, which can be viewed on BookMyShow, is aimed at helping the struggling artists and their families.

“Lockdown has drained our revenues. Artists and their families are finding it difficult to survive. It was Laqshya Live Experiences, an event management company, that came up with the idea of a digital show. We held several rounds of virtual meetings and finalised the script based on the history of Rambo Circus,” said Sujit Dilip, owner of Rambo Circus, who belongs to Karthikappally in Alappuzha.

The show will be streamed for four days starting September 25. The company hopes that the first-of-its-kind event will inspire other groups to make the digital switch. “We are hoping that the digital revolution will bring back the lost visibility and respect to the art form. This is part of our upgrading process to stay relevant. Currently, the circus unit has 50 artists and supporting staff each and many of them are from Kerala. Even if the digital venture is successful, we will continue to do live shows once the pandemic scare is over,” he said.

Rambo Circus was established by P T Dilip, Sujith’s father in 1991. Earlier, he owned Arena Circus Kozhikode and the Great Oriental Circus and Victoria Circus from Thalassery. He merged all three into Rambo and took it to the international stage.