KATHMANDU, Nov 19: The way one speaks becomes their identity. The tone, the texture and the pitch of one’s voice makes them unique. Most of us are stuck with one voice for the rest of our lives. Very few have the privilege to change their voice, it is hard to change one’s voice or rather it’s a matter of practice to generate a new voice but we don’t practice it. Nevertheless, it’s always amusing to see a person who changes their voice and sound natural at that.
Dilip Poudel is a bundle of talent in that case. Born in Kapilvastu, he is the youngest sibling with three sisters. He is currently studying at Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya in Pokhara. He was a village boy and used to make sounds of buffaloes while taking them out for a graze with his father. Everyone was amused by the voices he could make but at that time, it was a mere conduct of a boy who knew nothing about caricature.
His first real mimicry was when Dilip in class four. While watching television, he first tried mimicking politician Baburam Bhattarai. Since his first attempt, Dilip received compliments from his sisters and it just motivated him to explore more and more. He was awestruck with the actor Sitaram Kattel’s character (Dhrumus) and wanted to try making his voice as well, which turned out well and natural, he shared. From there he started trying different voices in school and in home, and now he is a star of any gathering he is a part and gets requests to perform every now and then.
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Altogether, Dilip says, he can mimic 90 different voices that include personalities from Nepali and Indian entertainment industries, politicians, animals and birds.
Few of the voices he usually demonstrates include that of Dhrumus of ‘Meri Basai’, Nepali actors like Rajesh Hamal as well as Indian actors like Dharmendra, Hrithik Roshan and Sunny Deol among others along with Nepali political personalities of Nepal such as KP Sharma Oli, Baburam Bhattarai and even Indian politicians like Narendra Modi. The one voice Dilip thinks he can make very well and is proud of is that of Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan’s character (Rohit Mehra) from ‘Koi Mill Gaya’.
The impressive thing is that Dilip is self-taught. Whatever he has done so far is all from his observation and experiments. There are no specific classes for him to learn the techniques of caricature. Regardless of that he is determined to make a career as the artist he is and grow in this field. He is hopeful that soon he will get the opportunity to perform like Subodh Gautam and Dinesh Kafle one day.
Dilip has so far participated in many of school programs, functions and local level competitions. Not only participated but, he has also won some competitions. Recently, he participated in the National Solo Theater Competition here in Kathmandu. He did not win the competition but certainly won the hearts of audience when he cracked them with his special gigs amid the program.
His journey so far has he made him understand that making different voices takes practice and he takes time out from his studies to practice regularly. He also believes that one’s natural voice also plays a role in how well they can execute the voice. Dilip is in constant search of new voices to widen his horizon and with the help of internet, he has been doing his research for materials that help him work on himself.
Dilip’s family has been supportive about his passion. But, when he first started there were some concerns regarding him hurting his vocal chords. He underwent an operation for tonsil at a tender age and his mother had tried to convince him otherwise. But now, like Dilip himself, they also want to see him do well in the future in caricature itself. And regardless of the scale of success, he is determined to work in this field.
