Humour and Hamsadhwani: Stand-up comic Alexander Babu takes a musical trip

Popular stand-up comedian Alexander Babu explores the nuances of iconic songs in his new project, ‘Veetu Videos’

Alexander Babu’s love affair with music started four decades ago in a small village in Ramanathapuram district, where he grew up listening to songs on All India Radio and Ceylon Radio. “Though my father didn’t understand the nuances in the songs, he would say, ‘See how Seergazhi Govindarajan’s voice stirs the soul’,” says , recalling even the shape of the radio petti at his house. Every time there was a festival in the village, classical and film songs would rent the air. A young Alexander would soak it in, delighted. It’s the musical ambience he grew up in that the popular stand-up comedian has always drawn inspiration from, including for his latest initiative, ‘Veetu Videos’, which seeks to re-introduce audiences to the classics of the 70s and 80s. The first episode of this YouTube series had Alex interpreting ’s 1979 song, ‘Mayile Mayile’ (Kadavul Amaitha Medai) in his distinct comic style. The song was followed by a video titled ‘Mamas, Mayile and Malargale’.