KOCHI: It all started with a ‘thengakola’ wherein a coconut falls on a boy’s head and he dies. The police, on introspection, says it is no ordinary murder rather an actual ‘thenga kola’.
That’s easy, you say. Well, you didn’t think about translating the pun into comics, didn’t you? Head over to Sabari Venu’s page ‘Mean Curry’ on Instagram. There! Another pun. The 23-year-old Thiruvananthapuram native currently resides in Bengaluru, working at a studio and freelancing his way around.
“My ‘thengakola’ comic became viral. And because I saw an appreciation for my ‘stupid’ jokes, I thought I might as well make more comics and make a page. The progress was very gradual though as I didn’t get a lot of free time considering the amount of college courses. Creating comics was either a time-pass or whenever I had a weird pun in mind,” says Sabari, whose ‘Mean Curry’ has just 27 posts but above 7k followers. A solid example of quality triumphs quantity.
Comics are usually gushed over by their relatability factor. However, Sabari claims he hasn’t given much thought to it. “I just try to express my jokes; when I have a really ‘stupid’ joke in my head, I note it down and work on it later. I have more of a knack with Malayalam puns though,” he says.
Most comic artists weave their stories around a character. Sabari stands distinct from this too. “A character does create a recall value for the comic artist. In my comics, I don’t really have that one person or character so it has its own advantages as the former can restrict your work to just one persona. I had one character called ‘Ammini pashu’ but I’ve to force myself to think about making stories involving the character. I have so many different scenarios in my head that I feel deserve newer characters. Also, the more people I see, the more inspiration I get,” the artist explains.
During the elections, Sabari’s post on Shashi Tharoor MP garnered numerous likes and drove home the point. The comic featured the politician saying ‘Vote Tharoo(r)’. “I have been quite open with my political opinion. As an artist, I also consider it as a responsibility. If there is something I strongly feel about, I might as well use the platform for it,” he asserts.
Why has he settled in Bengaluru though, despite Kerala’s flourishing art scene? “The atmosphere in Kerala is perfect for an artist. In the past four years, I have gotten comfortable with Bengaluru and I feel career-wise, in the design field, the city is more promising,” Sabari responds.
The artist’s work has become fodder to many. “A lot of people message me saying my work has helped them get their work out there. A lot of them have amazing work but this fear of being judged prevents them. What you need to know is you are the best judge of your work, so don’t care, just put it up,” he says.
But why would you keep referring to your jokes as ‘stupid’? “To me, they are pieces of art. The jokes aren’t serious but I do put a lot of thought into it and craft the narrative. Stupid is, well, out of love,” he says.