Malayalam auteur Ok G George’s Mela (1980) and director Jayaraj Vijay’s Nair Pidicha Pulival (1958) had been most likely the earliest movies in Malayalam about life in a circus. Each movies, apart from an emotional core and taut screenplay, recreated the awe and delight related to watching an actual time circus present, full with a stay orchestra belting out tunes to match the acts offered on stage.
A present on the Nice Bombay Circus that returns to the town after six years, brings again these recollections. The large tent is gleaming with ornamental lights and and the hall bears black-and-white pictures of personalities like Lal Bahadur Shastri, EMS Namboodiripad, Indira Gandhi and MG Ramachandran visiting the circus. As soon as inside, music performed on the audio system stops, a bell rings and the present takes off to a fantastic begin.
The balancing act on the Nice Bombay Circus
| Photograph Credit score:
M. Periasamy
Flying trapeze is the primary act. Because the performer, grabs the trapeze bar from a excessive platform, swings and lets go of the bar which is caught by a fellow artiste on a second trapeze, the packed viewers erupt in cheers. Extra methods like spinning on the swinging trapeze observe and the group is delighted. “The viewers response retains us going,” says KM Sanjeev, who now runs the 102-year-old circus firm including that they carried out in Chennai for over three-and-a-half months earlier than the pandemic lockdowns. “Then, we went to Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Kozhikode and it has been encouraging.”
The star attraction of the present is a six-member males’s workforce from Ethiopia, who gained bronze medals on the World Competitions) jiving to Afro-beats, whereas performing jaw-dropping acrobatics, and juggling. The tight rope act sees the performer kick saucers, tea cups onto her head whereas balancing herself on a skinny rope. The ‘tower basketball’ wherein a performer slowly and painstakingly bounces a ball to the highest of a pole hooked up to her ft — with the danger of getting the ball quiver and fall — makes the viewers maintain their breath.
“It takes hours of follow and persistence to nail such acts, be it swinging on a trapeze, juggling, using a unicycle, or ring dance. Power, agility and perseverance issues,” explains Sanjeev.
All these elements come to the fore when an eight-member workforce from Manipur takes over and presents some thrilling acts like spear steadiness on the chest and acrobatics. The hearth dance present is visually beautiful and has the dancers transferring about to the beats of stomach dance. The clowns have been with the circus for many years – and sure, it does present. Their slapstick manages to evoke laughs, particularly from kids.
Hula hoop dance
| Photograph Credit score:
M. Periasamy
Tracing their historical past, Sanjeev says when Baburao Kadam based the Grand Bombay Circus within the 1920s in Sindh province (now in Pakistan). Across the time, in Kerala, Keeleri Kunhikannan, a martial artiste and gymnast arrange his circus firm at Thalassery. His nephew, KM Kunhikannan, merged his two circus troupes, Whiteway and Hind, with Grand Bombay Circus in 1947 and thus was born the Nice Bombay Circus. Kunhikannan’s legacy was carried ahead by his nephew KM Balagopal below whose management, it grew into the most important circus firm in India immediately. When he died in 1993, his sons KM Sanjeev and Dileep Nath took over. “I used to be doing my education in Udhagamandalam and was planning to pursue Legislation however needed to take over the circus following father’s sudden demise,” Sanjeev remembers including that his 200-member workforce is ‘a village in a metropolis’ with artistes drawn from India, Russia, and Nepal. “We gel like one massive household. We’ve got 4 kitchens catering to our meals necessities.”
Travelling circuses have enormous overheads. Along with making ends meet, discovering an area for his or her massive tent can also be tough. “All open areas are usurped by excessive rises. Coimbatore’s VOC Parks is likely one of the finest grounds in India. Solely the Gujarat State authorities gives reserved grounds for circuses and exhibitions with minimal costs. Cities like Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat too have circus grounds for minimal hire.”
A piece of the viewers
| Photograph Credit score:
M. Periasamy
Along with daredevilry, the viewers, particularly in small cities, wish to see extra animals like tigers and elephants. “The ban on the usage of wild animals took the sheen out of circuses. However, we do have acts that includes cockatoos and canines for which vital permissions have been secured from the Animal Welfare Board.”
Recalling a few of their finest moments, he says, “Most political personalities confirmed patronage to our circus throughout our heydays. As soon as once we bought caught in Punjab due to an unrest, the then governor Siddhartha Shankar Ray ensured that our troupe bought safety. Indira Gandhi has graced our reveals. When there was a problem whereas performing on the Purple Fort, she intervened. Whereas MGR ensured that we bought the sprawling Kannappa Thidal grounds for our efficiency, Kalaignar Karunanidhi allotted exhibition grounds for our reveals. These had been our golden days.”
Juggling act
| Photograph Credit score:
M. Periasamy
Their subsequent cease is Hyderabad. “Individuals ought to come ahead to observe the circus, one of many oldest types of leisure. Grandparents, dad and mom and kids can come collectively to take pleasure in a night of leisure. After the lockdowns, we confronted loads of issues, however the public help retains us going.” For individuals who got here, younger and previous, the efficiency lasting over two hours with 30 plus acts, nonetheless held magic.
The Nice Bombay Circus can be performing within the metropolis until August first week. There can be three reveals each day at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. Every present lasts over two hours and options 30 plus acts. Tickets are priced at ₹100, ₹200, ₹300 and ₹400. For particulars, name 8893606308, 8778838082, 8714285256.