KOCHI: Kaarthik Shankar and his mother Kaladevi are familiar faces for most Malayalis now. Their popular comedy web series, Mom and Son, where the duo plays on-screen mother and son, successfully renders episodes that are sure to tickle one’s funny bones. The Pathanamthitta-native owns a YouTube channel with 1.21 million subscribers.
Kaarthik came up with short videos about life in a middle-class family to kill his boredom during last year’s lockdown. The highlight of the cast is his mother, Kaladevi, father Jayan and uncle MS Raja, who are naturals at acting and bring in the humour effortlessly, which is what makes the episodes most relatable.
“During the lockdown, almost everyone, even the senior citizens got introduced to YouTube videos and social media. Online streaming channels started receiving more viewership. My first video, where I attempt to help my mother with chores, received good reception especially among youngsters who were stuck at home and were trying to be helpful at home. Our subjects are inspired by real-life incidents,” he says.
Kaarthik says good script and teamwork are his magic ingredients. “The camera is mostly handled by my father, Jayan, who is a professional photographer. We do practice the scripts before shooting the episodes. When we started, we used to do more than 30 takes to get a scene right,” he says. Now, the cast has become so comfortable that his uncle and mother sometimes improvise their dialogues too. “Though we deliver humour, the filming is always serious. But there are always funny bloopers at the end of the day,” says Kaarthik.
Continuity crisis
However, maintaining continuity and getting new ideas is a challenge.“We have to post episodes at least once every two weeks. But sometimes it is hard for me to come up with a new topic in time, every time. But it has helped us all get better with acting, including my uncle who has the biggest fanfare,” quips Kaarthik.
For Kaladevi, who was a homemaker till last lockdown, it is a delight to be able to make people laugh. “When he told me to act, I first said no. But later, I decided to join in. Kaarthik gets serious during the shoots and even scolds us if we make mistakes. But it is very nice to see him dedicated to his work and that inspires us to perform our best. The first episode will always be my favorite. Though he puts out a funny face, Kaarthik off camera is a different person,” she quips.
The mother is very happy to be known as Kaarthik’s mother from the series. “People recognise me even with a mask on! I consider it a blessing,” she says. Kaarthik, who was an assistant director in films, plans to pursue his love for acting and develop a new series that will feature more new faces and fresh humour.