A script for success

They make you laugh, provoke you to think real hard but there are times when they could make you cry as well. |
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They share an energy that is infectious. All this comes from the inexhaustible amount of resources they have in terms of content with each countable head being a storehouse of energy.

This is PunchTantraa, a bunch of young men, who likes to call themselves the radical mime group.

Why radical? “Well, all our actions are loud and exaggerated. They hit you right in the face and if one wants to be a part of our group one certainly shouldn’t be normal. You have to be able to exaggerate everything you say and do,” jokes Ram, a core member of the team.  |

The group script their acts from the common things they see, hear and feel around them.

They thrash out their individual and collective experiences and the result is an hour-long session of non-stop fun and laughter.

“The idea of choosing and conceptualising every act is to send out a strong message to the audience. We have had people walking up to us and telling us how our acts actually changed their perspective towards a lot of things and helped them see a few things in a new light,” Avinash pitches in.

Ashwin, another team member, shares that the team has been fortunate to have always got a tremendous response from the crowd, wherever they have performed till date.

“That’s why we are called a radical mime team because all the actions, sounds and formations are generated by us and nothing is borrowed or even pre-recorded. It is all live and all the actions are done by us,” he says.

He adds, “So, in that sense, we draw our energy from the crowd and give it back to them almost ten folds.”  

The team goes by the tagline ‘clean comedy’.

That’s precisely why all the shows can be watched a seven-year-old or a  70-year-old. 

“There’s something for everyone and I must say that the kids love us. Parents don’t have to think twice before bringing their kids to our shows. And we touch upon issues that even children can relate to. We like to keep our act as clean and clear as possible,” says Vishnu, another member.

Quite incidentally, the team comprises only men. Why no women?

“Oh, that wasn’t a conscious decision. Women are more than welcome but we all share a common vibe and work on a particular wavelength. There are no ego issues. We haven’t yet found women who fit that bill,” sums up Abhishek.