Come on, Alia! Mumbai's 'Aila Vatt' gets Alia Bhatt's voice, exposes biases that define her art (2023)

The young mime went viral, catching the attention of KJo and earning endorsements for the stars she represented. But Mumbai-based Aila Vatt, also known as Chandni Bhabhda, must first be prepared to fight the prejudices that define her craft as fun and entertaining

Chandni Bhabhda, 22, returns to her university in Bandra to meet a wave of fans who know her from her portrayal of Alia Bhatt Yes, and their mother loves her for her role as "Mama Mawadi". Photo/Pradeep Dhivar

Students of MMK School of Business and Economics in Bandra are busy with a symposium. But as we walked by on Friday morning, everyone was distracted; their attention irritated former students.

"who is she?"
“Moonlight, moonlight”
"Katojani?"
"Arey, ona radi Aliju".

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Photo/Ashish Rane

Chandni Bhabhda, 22, is back at his alma mater. The petite woman with long hair that she likes to shake but doesn't like to comb, quickly passed through the scattered crowd, saying "go home" at noon.

We meet an awkward teenager who stops her by saying, "My mom loves Marwadi's mom." It refers to a YouTube comedy clip in which Bhabhda ditches her jeans and crop top and wears a bandhani dupatta, aging 20 years, Fluent in Malwari, she impersonates a rain-obsessed housewife in Mumbai who admonishes her millennial family to dry out jeans that aren't meant to be worn. Someone asked for a selfie. "It's like being with [with] little Alia [Bhatt]."

Kitty Kanalang

In the downstairs room, Deputy Director Romawa was surprised and delighted to see her. "But we had to push her on stage; she was so shy."

This is unimaginable for Bhabhd, a true influencer with 222,000 followers. Leader, lecturer and host Mimic admits that as a girl she was troubled by a lack of support from her peers. Teachers encourage. But friends are far away. "Some people don't like my voice...others may not like my personality. I had no friends growing up, neither in school nor in college."

Chandni was a shy teenager who had to be coaxed to get on stage, said Roma Wagh, vice-principal of the MMK college where Chandni attended in Bandra. PIC/pradeep dhivar

However, social media justice has seen those who bullied her now send apology messages. "I got singled out; put me in a depression. I don't open those messages. They can be a trigger," he said of his role in the skit with equal sincerity. Her therapist said she shouldn't be trying to get the anger out of her body. "After all, success is the best revenge. Even Alia believed it!

One of the hottest and most popular young actresses in Hindi cinema, Bhatt is Bhabhda's inspiration and hope. They even have a common name. Airawat is her social media presence, attracting new followers every day.

Reuben Kaduskar, Black Bread Collective

Her latest 10-million-dollar film, Brahmastra Bhatta, has 11 million views. It all started with Bhabhda ordering pizza with Bhatt's voice. Since then, her rolls have gone viral. Even Bhatt thinks she's a "copy," calling her "very good." Actress, producer and director Karan Johar's biggest cheerleader and mentor poses with Bhabhda at a recent event.

Chunni's behavior originated in childhood, he said. In the evening, her mother, Sulochana, offered the author a cup of tea at their Andheri East villa. "Moonlight didn't imitate any neighbor or relative. One day she said I was going to dress up as a rickshaw driver; the next day, the doctor..." said the poet and teacher. But she inherited her passion for Bollywood from her father, Madan Mohan, a criminal lawyer, and decided to use her powers of observation to train herself to act and speak like Bart and Ananya Pandey.

Chandni's facial expressions make her recognizable on the street. Photo/Pradeep Dhivar

Bhabhda said 10 years after imitating Bhatt made her famous, she made her debut as an actress in Johar's Campus Romance Student of the Year. "That gorgeous opening — I want to be that guy."

On the day she watched Bhatta Gangubai Kathiawadi, which was released in theaters recently, she spoke in a rude Gujarati accent to Mrs. Kamathipura's Hindi Gangubai accent, who drove her home. Since then, whenever the phone rings, she turns "hello" into "haan, raja".

Jay Vijay Sachan 和 Ayush Guha

She has watched the Sanjay Leela Bhansali biopic 40 times since it was released in February. "But, I don't like Brahma. But I do a lot of free publicity for the movie...at parties they always ask me to say 'Shiva'. I didn't know that was going to happen," she said. said, eyes widening in disbelief.

For someone who has struggled with low self-esteem since her mother had to quit her job to care for her, the first taste of success is decidedly sweet. "She made it through acting," her mother said. "We're proud of what she's accomplished in going on to study law," her father said. "Young people have to deal with so much competition ... including peers in our family."

Sumedh Shinde, a former dentist known for impersonating Hrithik Roshan, believes there are more money-making opportunities for impersonators. Photo/Sameer Markande

Surya Kumar is a musician and Chandni's only friend in the past. He calls it an "energy pack." Valuable and firm are the words to describe her. "We were friends before she was famous. She's very talented."

A humble family background hasn't stopped the digital creator from dreaming big. In addition to interviewing stars, hosting and dubbing, she is still fulfilling her Bollywood dream. "I want to be in a movie about Dharma," she said bluntly when asked how she sees herself five years from now.

Imitation is an art and requires effort. Bhabhda said she practiced most of the day, trying to break another shade of Bhatt's personality. She spent years riding the waves and finally seeing the money come in. "I wouldn't call myself an overnight success! I worked at Alia for 10 years. Just got noticed." If she was worried about switching to mixed content after Alia's craziness subsided, she didn't show it. "Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I'm not going to. But if you want Alia, it's going to cost you.

Mimicry is defined as the superficial similarity of two taxonomically unrelated species. The performing arts require practitioners to master vocal modulation, facial expression, and comical timing. In India, the state of Kerala has long been a hotbed of imitation, where a community's love of satire was sown. Chakyar Koothu, a stage show from the state, is a complex monologue of Puranas and epic dramas that may have been the beginning of Kerala talk shows, experts say. Practitioners use political satire and social criticism to spare no one, not even those in power.

Modern mass parody has long been associated with imitating movie stars. Shah Rukh Khan impersonators Dev Anand, Sanjay Dutt and Shatrughan Sinha replicas have had their own parallel careers in film and television. Legends such as Johnny Lever and Jaaved Jaaferi exemplify the Bollywood performing arts. The late comedian Raju Shrivastava, who passed away earlier this month, was actually an accomplished mime and rose to fame impersonating superstar Amitabh Bachchan and Bihar politician Lalu Prasad Yadav. But for all his rage on stage and television, he belongs to a generation that has nothing to do with modern urban stand-up comedy.

Parodies are immediately noticeable, but are comedic parodies second-class citizens in the contemporary Indian comedy world, where stand-up is considered a higher art of observation and opinion?

Ayush Guha, head of Hypp Talent, who runs Bhabhda's work, said imitation is successful because it can have a huge impact in a short period of time.

“They [followers] are highly engaged, and their reach is platform-agnostic. Parody also connects them to a wider audience [than stand-up comedy]. Alia Chandni’s sketches, for example, will help ease her transition to cinema Or OTT."

Bhabhda's strength is also her weakness, and the mime has to live with that. “Brands always ask about Alia, but we also promote Chandni Marwadi’s mother figure. We charge super bonuses for playing Alia, which helps us to filter. We help her participate in events, but it’s just for awareness.” Guha agrees stand-up Comedians may have trouble with facial expressions. "That doesn't change the fact that these guys create 40-second bytes of original content a day. , even if it's character-based. Most stand-up comedians write a 120-minute segment and recycle it throughout the year. E.g. , Chandni can create content from the recordings!"

Geetika Narang Abbasi made a documentary this year called Urf about the life of a double and what it means to be constantly mistaken for someone else. "While people like Johnny Lever are very popular, parodies have never been appreciated like OG stars. In India, it's kind of not seen as an art form," he said, adding, "I think TikTok has led to There was a renaissance of the form. Social media made life easier for artists like Chandni, but it was hard to gain a following in the 1990s. People had to come to Mumbai, make their own way, and wait to be invited to parties and Performance."

Mumbai-based comedian Rueben Kaduskar, who runs the Brown Bread Collective, said the fair answer is that all comedy starts with imitation. “One of our early introductions to comedy was through pantomime, thanks to Johnny Leffer. But as I got deeper into the industry, I realized that imitation might be an easier way to get ahead; it didn’t Didn't make the job easier. There was a lot of hard work. Written wisely, yes it might lack nuance. But if you combine facial expressions and stand up - imagine [Kunal] Kamra having to take Modi's Identity tells the Narendra Modi joke - it takes it to another level. We'd love to see that with some of the artists," said Comic Shreemaye Das, co-founder of The Grin Collective, who are on their roster There are no mime artists. Stand-up comedy is unique in that the jokes are written by a cartoonist, he said. "Too proud. But, of course, imitation is popular and has its merits.

Balraj Singh Ghai, who runs The Habitat in Khar, a regular venue for comedians, recalls when he first started working in the industry in 2016. At the time Mimicry wasn't even considered a comedy. "It's a completely different art form. We've never been able to put on a show with a lineup that includes artists who can both stand up and imitate. Stand-up comedians wouldn't like that. In fact, even improvised Artists are also considered a special breed,” he said of live theater, where plots, characters and dialogue are created in the moment. Improv comedians perform without a script.

"Everything has changed over time. Parody now includes writing. We see that jokes are now layered. Parody is now established, but a whole set will be created based on that person's inspiration. However, mimes are less likely to emerge. In the stand-up lineup. If that happens, it will also have a poet, a psychologist, and it will be on the map as entertainment," he explained.

India's Master of Laughter 2022 proved him wrong by impersonating Jayvijay Sachan in the just-concluded reality show competition. The hit contestant, judged by Shekhar Suman and Archana Puran Singh, said: "Some people think imitation is speaking with voice, but I make history, I have catchphrases. I make social commentary [through my jokes] and still make people Laugh. For example, if I play Pankaj Tripathi [actor] and tell people to put on the helmet, I am delivering a good message through comedy. Only in India imitations are not valued; but I think things are changing now."

Sumedh Shinde, 38, agrees. The former dentist became popular thanks to parody videos of Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan. He argues that, unlike stand-up comedy, facial expressions offer performers more opportunities to express themselves while also generating income. “You can do plays, you can do voiceovers, you can act on stage, you can even act! I did the Marathi version of Criminal Justice [OTT show] with Pankaj Tripathi’s voice. In fact, as the great Robin Williams That being said, the better you can imitate, the more characters you can play," said Shinde, who has impersonated for 25 years. His only advice: "It's not about being on TV anymore. If you have the talent and the social media presence...you can do it. But it's also about consistency. You have to keep renewing yourself; stay tuned or leave.

For now, Bhabhda is focusing on the big prize - meet Alia Bhatt. "I want to do a podcast with her. That's the plan." He's also trying to put ghosts of his past to sleep. "Sometimes I can't believe I'm here; is it me or am I trying to fit in? I still wonder who I am."