We all remember the delight with which we listened to the Loha Singh Shows on the radio growing up. Prof. Rameshwar Singh Kashyap entertained and delighted a whole generation of Bhojpuriyas in his portrayal of Loha Singh, a veteran of the British Indian army reminiscing his exploits on the frontiers of Kabul (Kabul ka morcha) in his village. Almost every Bihari with gray hair remembers the cast of characters - Khaderan ko mother and Phatak Baba.
As memories of this excellent impressionist and ‘observer of life’ fade away, we find that after many many years of a comic hiatus, we have the emergence of a new breed of YouTubers who aim to claim that niche. I have watched a few but the one that outshines the rest by his sheer talent of acting and his dialog delivery is Anand Mohan. Presented extempore, his videos display his mastery over Bhojpuri language that is hard to find these days. His diction and delivery are remarkably slick and he tranports you deep into the Bhojpuri heartland. He has a knack to make something that may evoke a smile into a performance that make the audiences roll in peals of laughter. If you watch his videos, he is someone you feel you know all to well – is it that gossipy Chacha who you meet when you go visit your village home? Or is he the guy who runs the paan shop at the nukkad? You won’t be able to place him anywhere, because you would have seen flashes of his character in many people you come across every day.
Anand Mohan has caught my notice as having the potential to become a legend, but I must say he needs a slick production house to take this polished jewel and insert it in a glorious setting. His productions are rough at the edges as they are done with a very low budget. There are sounds of traffic and horns honking in the background rather than the sounds of the koel and titahri. Hope those will get addressed in time and hope
Anand Mohan is a versatile actor. I have no clue of him as a person or his greatness or his failings. He does not even have a Wikipedia page yet. All I have seen of him is in his YouTube videos. His videos are a blast! Many friends I know watch his shows. If he keeps on his trajectory, Anand Mohan will be remembered by the next generation with the same fondness as we remember Rameshwar Singh Kahyap and his character, Loha Singh.
