Imitating perfection

HYDERABAD: To be able to take inspiration from, and imitate them, to entertain an audience while also ensuring that dignity is maintained without hurting or offending the party involved, is surely a daunting task. Acing the oft-forgotten art of mimicry is Hyderabad based-artist Shiva Bhaviri, who has been tickling the bones of people around him for more than two decades now. 

Unlike jokes that you know are going to elicit a response, mimicry requires not just skill but also observation, patience, practice and hard work, says Shiva. “I was inspired by my uncle Ravi Bhaviri as a kid (six years old) and took it up not knowing it would bring me this far someday. I started showing off my skills at small gatherings and family functions where people were very encouraging. After a little push from well-wishers, I went to perform at bigger venues and found my way to the  Telugu film industry,” says the artiste who has impressed not just fans but also several biggies of Tollywood — including directors and actors. 

The 37-year-old has been the voice behind several actors and his voiceovers and mimicry are sure to awaken you. “Actor Balakrishna is one of the many people I lend my voice to and I received the best applause for the promo of the film Lakshmi’s NTR. The opportunity brought me closer to my audience whose love kept growing every day. I have also worked for a few other films including Geetha and Kalakar, where I was also the voice of actor Rajeev Kanakala. I also mimicked Chandra Babu Naidu and NTR’s voices for films. I also did a few TV programmes,” he tells CE. The artiste, who says imitating Balakrishna’s voice gave him the biggest lift in his career, can imitate over 120 voices! 

Shiva believes the opportunities today have grown by leaps and bounds as against how there were barely any of them, when he had started out and that he is grateful for the same. Talking about how he honed his skills, he shares, “I would watch and follow a lot of mimicry artists on Doordarshan. I watched actor Sai Kumar’s film on TV and began learning and practising as my first performance.” 

Shiva is currently working on a web series that will be out soon, while also trying his luck in the movies. “I played a small role in the film Risk and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I’d be more than willing to take up such roles and offers in the future. I have also begun teaching the art of mimicry to kids who are interested and have put up several videos of the same on YouTube,” says he. Asked what’s next, he says “Come what may, I hope to be able to entertain people till my last breath.”