Vinay Natekar

Today, Natekar’s troupe consists of Bunny, Cuckoo, Teddy, and Genie — his four helper puppets. The foam puppet quartet have been crafted and imported from the USA. They set the premise and deliver the punchlines for him. We learn that the overarching narrative in the hour-long performance revolves around Bunny fighting against Teddy and Cuckoo for dibs over a magic lamp that holds a witty genie. When the spotlight’s on Bunny, expect some unfiltered jabs and pranks. “Bunny is easily the most loved character across shows. Children love interacting with him during and after the show and he often indulges in some playful leg-pulling and pranks with the mischievous ones from the audience,” the artiste reveals.

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For us, however, the highlight of this conversation is the revelation of Cuckoo’s official name. ‘Cuckoo Hyderabadwala’, Natekar states in an almost Bond-esque tone. “She brings the distinct dialect of Hyderabad with her to the performance which gives the story an Indian touch,” he adds. If Natekar’s characters sound silly to you, that might just be the reason your jokes haven’t exactly been the life of the party lately. “We often overthink and overwrite jokes. The funniest moments on stage arise from what were once the silliest sounding ideas. You don’t have to build on layers or inject subtle messaging in jokes for them to work,” he notes.

To that end, the artiste reveals that the performance is two hours of pure entertainment. “I set clear boundaries in my mind while writing the show to not make it sound too preachy or like a lecture in moral science. The kids have just entered the holiday season; it would be cruel to invite them to the performance and end up sounding like their teacher,” he laughs.

ON April 7; 11 am
AT Vishnudas Bhave Natyagruha, Sector 16, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. AGE GROUP 7 years and above 
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