“I did not have a choice,” says funnyman Alexander Babu, slightly pensively. He is referring to his current plan to launch an OTT platform of his own (Anba TV), a transfer that was achieved after approaching a number of OTT gamers with the content material of his newest hit present, Alexperience.
That his content material didn’t discover takers within the OTT space is just a little disheartening. His earlier present, Alex in Wonderland, was a hit, with Amazon Prime even deciding to subtitle it in additional than ten languages to profit subscribers from many nations. “I thought that was it; I had made it. I thought everyone would roll out a red-carpet for my content,” he remembers.
But no one did — regardless of the success of the stay exhibits of Alexperience. Representatives from the OTT space knowledgeable him that there was no momentum for regional stand-up comic content material. “I suddenly realised I was on my own. YouTube was an option but the kind of content I was putting out brings along with it certain challenges. I was left alone. I could relate to many creators; like a filmmaker who has made a good project without stars but does not know what to do with it.”
Alexander, a company professional-turned-comedian, determined to take issues into his own arms. On September 5, he’s set to launch his newest present in ‘Anba TV’, an unique OTT space that can showcase all his content material. “I’ve worked in IT before and understand what it means to build a product. So, I decided to set up shop. Something like those small shops you find outside malls which draw huge crowds. Here, it’s like buying a DVD that you can watch anytime you like,” says Alexander. He believes that there can be takers for this mannequin. “I have DVDs of Tamil films like Pammal K Sammandam and Michael Madana Kama Rajan that I play every few months and watch. I believe this will be like that,” says the comic, who describes ‘Anba TV’ as a house for all his content material and one thing that doesn’t yield returns instantly.
Alexander Babu
| Photo Credit:
Shivaraj S; Location: I Conventions, Adyar
Humour meets music
Hitting 50 quickly, Alexander — who rose to fame because of his potential to combine humour with a heady dose of music — has been within the stand-up comedy scene for greater than a decade now. Alexperience noticed him reflecting on socially-relevant themes, at the same time as he delved into his love for music and Tamil. So, what has been his greatest classes from that present, which was carried out from 2022 to 2024 to audiences internationally? “It was magical. Every time I got on stage, I told myself that it was a blessing and that the divine was using me as an instrument to pass on information. I’m not Crazy Mohan, but people loved my lines. I’m not a great singer, but audiences still loved my performances.”
He additionally did a few movie initiatives in the previous few years, like Madhavan-starrer Maara and the web-series, Time Enna Boss. “After this launch, I’m going to go on a sabbatical, just to plunge into writing content. But as I do not have any tours planned this year, I am open to taking up interesting film offers. Acting gives me the opportunity to learn new skills.”
Alexander believes within the motto work onerous, be form and unfold pleasure. He addresses his audiences endearingly as ‘chellams’. “My kids look up to me. They think of me as a hero. They feel offended if someone scolds me and I sometimes am not sure if I’m worthy of being put on such a pedestal. So, when I get hate comments on social media or get booed during stage shows, I keep thinking of the audiences as my children. My job, as a parent, is to be sweet to them. I have the microphone that no one in the room has, so I have to be responsible. Also, this is some sort of an internal affirmation; when I address them as ‘chellams’, it relaxes me. It tells me that I am not there to present material in its pristine manner, but rather, to have a conversation with the people in front of me.”
For particulars, go online to anba.television and ebook ‘Alexperience’ for ₹1000
