CHENNAI: Seema Golchha and her puppet Jack Denial share a unique chemistry. Right from posing for pictures to having conversations, the blue-coloured fluffy friend has become a part of her life. Seema is claimed to be Nepal’s first and only ventriloquist. She talks to CE over the phone, ahead of her event at Peekaboo Patterns, her first in the city, this weekend. “I’ve been a homemaker for most of my life. Living in a joint family, I always had a ready audience of around six kids at home. Every night, I would tell them jokes and stories using hand puppets. That’s how I developed a flair for ventriloquism,” says Seema, who was born and raised in Mumbai. She moved to Nepal 25 years ago.
Seema was an in-house comic at Canvas Laugh Club in Mumbai for two years from 2017. She has performed on international platforms in Thailand and the USA. Her recent stint was at the renowned Gotham Comedy Club in New York, where she shared the stage with legends of stand-up comedy, Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. “I was always drawn to comedy. In 2011, I performed ventriloquism for the first time. I just decided to pursue it full-time as a profession since there are enough stand-up comedians already. It requires practice daily. Your puppet is an extension of yourself, but with a different character. It’s more like having a split personality,” shares Seema, who never misses an opportunity to perform at an open mic.
Ventriloquism is an act of stagecraft in which a person changes his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from somewhere, usually a puppet used as a prop. “People get perplexed when they see us perform. It’s like an illusion to their eyes. As a ventriloquist, we need to master talking without moving our lips, create a different voice for our puppet, keep it alive through manipulation and hold a believable conversation with the puppet,” says Seema. She owns 20 puppets out of which she practices only with a few since not all are compatible for shows.
“It’s a common assumption that we talk with our mouths closed. How’s that possible? The lips and teeth must be slightly parted or the voice will not be audible. It’s quite a task,” says Seema.
For the children of Chennai, she will be performing a few acts. She has also planned for a workshop on how to make your own puppet. “I am serious about pursuing this art seriously. I believe it is a dying field,” she says. Seema will perform at Peekaboo Patterns, First Floor, Bergamo Mall, on February 22, 4 pm to 6 pm. Tickets priced at `750 for kids and `500 for parents. For details, call: 9962430862
Popular personalities
Some of today’s most popular ventriloquists include Jeff Dunham, Terry Fator, Darci Lynne and Nina Conti.