Dermatologist's satirical reels go viral, garnering millions of views
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome aboard the Dindigo Airlines flight to Jamnagar. Yes, it is an international airport now for 10 days, or however long it takes rich people to party. The crew on this flight speak Gujarati and garishness, Punjabi and privileged English and entitlement.
We have only VIPs on this flight. Mark Zuckerberg, ladies and gentlemen. Bill Gates, no sir, you cannot open any windows. No doors either. That is only allowed for Indian politicians,” Anil Abraham’s take on billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant’s pre-wedding celebrations went viral garnering two million views on Instagram.
Abraham, a dermatologist, who posts as @docanilabe on Instagram, says, “I began posting reels during the pandemic. It was my way of cheering up people during the lockdown,” says the 61-year-old.
Another reel which went viral was Simple Sudha, where Abraham pokes fun at writer Sudha Murthy. “The city I live in is not Bangalore, but simplicity,” he says dressed as Murthy in the post. “Two simple spoons I carry everywhere. One veg and another is a non-veg spoon... I made my husband what he is today and my daughter, she made her husband the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I do humble bragging.” It garnered around three million views.
Asked to describe his reels, the Bengaluru-based Abraham says, “It is satire cloaked in humour. If I want to say something unpalatable or politically incorrect, I use humour and give it a domestic reference.” As for the content of his gags, it’s the “front page of a newspaper that provides enough material for at least five reels”.
The comic does not believe in scripting before he speaks. “It doesn’t work if I write it down.
I prefer to do it spontaneously in one take,” says Abraham, who uses Instagram Filter for his makeup and costume: “It takes all of five seconds.”
Is his job reflected in his wit? “Of course. I attend a lot of medical conferences. So I end up using it as content. Then I talk about my practice, student days and becoming a doctor,” says Dr Funny, who has 30 years of experience under his belt. Patients also offer him a lot of material. He recalls how once a woman came to him with complaints of hair loss. “Doctor, you don’t know how much hair I am losing. I lose hair every day. There is hair in my comb, in the bathroom basin and my husband’s butter chicken. Hair everywhere, except on my head,” she rued. The dermat-comic says, “Often people don’t realise they are being amusing. I simply store it all in my head for future use,” he smiles, as he gears up to offer another dose of laughter.