‘Mimicry King’ Hari Kishan Is No More

HYDERABAD: Popular mimicry artiste Hari Kishan (57) passed away on Saturday after prolonged illness. He was among the elite group of mimicry artistes who regaled the Telugu audiences for many decades. Extremely talented, he made his mark through thousands of stage shows across the world.

He was born on May 30th, 1963, in Eluru of Andhra Pradesh. His passion for mimicry started right from his childhood. In his heydays, he was known for his prowess to mesmerize the audiences by mimicking, not just the voices of film and political celebrities but even enacting scenes from popular Hollywood films with stunning sound effects. One of the many scenes that brought him laurels was a scene from ‘Jurassic Park’.

Hari Kishan performed on stage for the first time in 1971 at Vijayawada and since then he never looked back. Across the globe, Hari Kishan performed in more than 10,000 mimicry shows thus making himself almost a household name for the Telugus. The talented mimic also went on to exhibit his acting skills as he featured in a few Telugu films. Arguably, one of the best in the trade within the two Telugu states, Hari Kishan received countless awards during his long, illustrious career.

After crisscrossing the world for stage shows, he also wore the hat of a mimicry teacher until he fell ill. Shiva Reddy, the most sought-after mimicry artiste in the two Telugu states, is one of his disciples.
Condolences have been pouring in for the family of Hari Kishan from Tollywood and all the aficionados of fine arts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.