Inanimate voices

Groomed by skillful masters in the field, Indusree, arguably the only woman magician in Karnataka, gradually moulded herself into a much sought-after ventriloquist. She performs in Hindi, English and Kannada. Her life-altering moment was her decision to delve into ventriloquism, a not-so-popular performing art in India. The art form boasts of only a few performers who have been outstanding, versatile, incessantly innovative and entertaining.

Indusree’s journey to become the first female ventriloquist in the country was challenging. The process of learning the art form was difficult as there were hardly any schools that taught ventriloquism. “Ventriloquism is all about manipulating your voice. I mastered the skill by watching international television shows and reading books,” she says. Enamoured by the charming tricks of English comedian and ventriloquist Poul Zerdin, Indusree learnt the basics to convey the illusion of voice.

Considered the only woman magician to perform the Burnt Alive Act successfully, she developed the dummy act through self experimentation and gradually started blending ventriloquism in her magic shows, which focus on issues right from current affairs to cinema, infused with some humour. Ask her what makes a successful ventriloquist and she says, “The knack lies in making the right sounds. Ventriloquism is basically an illusion to the ear, just like magic is to the eye.”

A specialist in double and triple dummy act, Indusree has etched her name in the Limca Book of Records for working with three dolls simultaneously and has staged more than 3,500 shows across the country and abroad. She also had the rare opportunity to represent the country at the International Ventriloquists’ Convention at Kentucky in USA. Her performance with a 10-feet-high demon doll, Mahishasura, the tallest talking doll ever in the field, during Dasara, has helped her garner more fans.

Indusree’s performances have been telecast on many television channels and her show, Nenedavara Manadalli Dinku Duniya, has turned her favourite dummy Dinku into a celebrity. “The audience in Western countries is very sharp and quick to respond. Giving life to dolls and manipulating dummies simultaneously is highly challenging. While the movements of two dolls is controlled by hand, the other two are controlled by the feet.

Sadly, many people in India confuse ventriloquism with mimicry,” rues Indusree.
But now, she has another dream to fulfill — to establish a school to popularise this dying art.