KOCHI: It was a life-long dream for Mahesh Kunjumon, a mimicry artist from Puthenkurish, to meet actor Anil Nedumangad in person. Anil had called him and congratulated him for mimicking his voice and style impeccably. Mahesh was heartbroken when he heard of Anil’s untimely demise after drowning in the catchment area of a dam in December last year.
At the time of his death, the post-production of Cold Case — the Prithviraj-strarrer — was still underway and they were on a hunt for someone to dub Anil’s character. Mahesh ended up being their obvious choice. He was slightly nervous in the beginning, because talking in someone else’s voice through an entire movie is not easy.
“Mimicking someone’s voice and being them throughout a movie are two different things. Anil had earlier said that it was an honour to be considered among other great actors I mimic. While doing mimicry, we memorise and practice the same dialogues many number of times. But recreating their essence throughout a movie is a tough job,” Mahesh said.
Mahesh has been a mimicry artist since he was a kid. He was part of a comedy show on a popular regional channel and was featured on eight episodes since 2018. “After the movie released, many people called me and appreciated my effort. Actor Jayasurya also appreciated my work,” Mahesh said. Cold Case is his second dubbing project in Malayalam, after dubbing for Vijay Sethupathi in the remake of Master.