Ventriloquism is the first love of 24-year-old Indushree, who got several accolades through hard work and perseverance. Indushree, the first female ventriloquist in India, who has held more than 2,800 shows all over the country, is a specialist in the double and triple-dummy act and has entered the Limca Book of Records for this.
Indushree, who is in the city after representing the country at the International Ventriloquists Convention at Kentucky, USA, says she got a great response for her performances at various venues, where the best ventriloquists from all over the world were present.
“Performing with three dolls at a time, controlling two with my hands and one with my leg, gave me a lot of confidence. The dolls were brought from America. Now, I am preparing for a show with four dolls during Dasara in Mysore,” says the young ventriloquist, who performs in Hindi, English and Kannada. Indushree chooses current issues, ranging from politics to health and social issues, and presents it with a slice of humour.
“Paul Zerdin, the English comedian and ventriloquist, inspired me. I then learnt the nuances of this amazing art. My fascination prompted me go deep into the art and I developed it through experimentation. My parents and teachers were always supportive. I take help from M Ramanath, a close associate of the family, to write comedy scripts in Kannada,” she says.
Indushree, whose performances have been telecast on many channels, including ETV, TV9, Zee Kannada, Sony TV and Star News, has also performed in Mysore during Dasara festivities.
“The live show, Nenedavara Manadalli Dinku Duniya on Zee Kannada was message-oriented and projected current topics laced with humour and wit. I do both TV and public shows. The response of people to these shows is great. The doll, Dinku, is a hit and is more popular than me,” she laughs.The ventriloquist’s performance with a 10-feet tall demon doll, Mahishasura, the tallest dummy ever in this field, has fetched her many accolades.
“That initiative was something unique. I am the only ventriloquist to have used a doll of this size. I have sent an entry to the Guinness authorities. I am awaiting their response,” she says. Indushree’s father, Ravindra Konnur, a stage artiste and a draftsman with Central Power Research Institute, is the ‘architect’ of the huge doll. ashitha@expressbuzz.com