india

Updated: Apr 23, 2020 00:32 IST

On most days, life is a struggle for 39-year-old Ravi Kumar. A mimicry artist who often does comic roles in Odia films, Ravi Kumar or Black Ravi as he is known among his peers for his dark complexion, does everything --- painting trucks, walls, doing stage shows - to feed his 11-member family including elderly parents.

Last month, soon after the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic was announced, Ravi added another skill set to his repertoire. He turned a vegetable vendor hawking fresh vegetables by the roadside in Bhubaneswar and then selling the same door-to-door on his cycle.

What sets Ravi and other vegetable vendors apart is the way he sells his vegetables using his mimicry skills. “I sell brinjal, bitter gourd, pumpkin, tomato and parwal while mimicking Bollywood actors Nana Patekar, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Odia comedian Jayee. That draws a lot of people,” he said.

As the coronavirus pandemic turned life upside down for crores of Indians, people like Ravi who earn their livelihood through their creative skills have been forced to look for alternative careers.

“I could not just wait for the lockdown to get over to start earning. When the lockdown was announced I was shooting for an Odia movie called Bali. I also used to do wall-painting and paint trucks. As there was no opportunity to do the same during the lockdown, I took to vending vegetables in Samantarapur area of Bhubaneswar,” Ravi, whose unique mimicry has earned him a huge fan following, said.

The popular comedian who has acted in more than 30 Odia films, 10 daily soaps and several video albums, said he was offered money by people to do wall painting, but refused as it would have amounted to violating the lockdown. “But I have a large family to feed. Apart from my two daughters, I have to look after 4 children of my deceased brother and sister-in-law and a younger brother. So I took to vending of vegetables as it is allowed during lockdown,” Kumar elaborated.

Every morning, Kumar puts up the vegetable stall by the roadside till 10 am when the sun’s rays start hurting. He then takes the leftover vegetables on a cycle and hawks door-to-door till everything is sold. In the evening, he sells mushrooms and raw and boiled eggs by the roadside. With the money that he earns, he also supports a widow near his house.

The comedian said he is also urging other people in his locality to take up vegetable vending as an alternative profession to run their family during lockdown.

Another popular comedian Pragyan Khatua, who does a comedy show on an Odia TV channel, said Ravi is a person who would not beg before anyone. “His mimicry and anchoring skills are unmatched. He has seen difficult days and knows the value of living with dignity,” said Pragyan.

The lockdown while affecting the income of comedians like Ravi has dealt a huge blow to the Odia film industry, already plagued by allegations of churning out sub-standard movies. The Utkal Cine Chamber of Commerce, a body of filmmakers and producers said the lockdown would hit the industry’s plans of releasing movies during the Raja festival.

“We release much of our movies during Raja festival in June. Now shooting has stopped affecting the livelihood of 1,000 technicians, 800 producers and distributors, 140 cinema hall owners and 1,600 cinema hall staffers in Odisha. Once the lockdown is lifted, we are not sure how many people would come to cinema halls,” Dilip Mishra, chairman of the body said.