Naan dhan Mrs Janaki: Meet the man behind the teacher making waves on social media

With her neatly pulled-back hair, churidhar, sarcasm and strictness, Mrs Janaki has grabbed the attention of people everywhere. What then is her story?
Stand-up comedian Abishek Kumar has till date published four episodes featuring Mrs Janaki's takes. (Photo | Abishek Kumar Instagram)
Stand-up comedian Abishek Kumar has till date published four episodes featuring Mrs Janaki's takes. (Photo | Abishek Kumar Instagram)

"Hello, naan dhan Mrs Janaki, KRSNM Matriculation Higher Secondary School la teacher ah iruken...

For the past few weeks, this particular teacher has been making waves on social media. 

With her neatly pulled-back hair, churidhar, sarcasm and strictness, she has grabbed the attention of people everywhere. Her reaction to the news that the board exams were cancelled has, in fact, gone viral.

"Unfortunately, Mrs Janaki is not real, neither is KRSNM school. Stop googling guys," says stand-up comedian Abishek Kumar, the man behind the persona, breaking into a laugh.

He explains, "She is an animoji made out of an iPhone!" (Ah dang!) 

"I used to employ the animoji feature for music covers, but when my cousin rang me up and announced that board exams have been cancelled, I decided to borrow my mother's churidhar and use the opportunity to make a video on it. But I had no script with me, did not practice and it was completely an on-the-spot thing," he says of the video that has made him an internet sensation.

Within a day of him publishing it on Instagram, the video clocked more than one lakh views. It has gone on to cross more than six lakh views till date. His followers count too rose by more than 15,000!

In the just over-a-minute-long video, Mrs Janaki aka Abishek covers board exams, math classes and even manages to touch upon the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. 

"As a stand-up comic, I have experimented with content. You never know what clicks. But when the video became viral, it was a totally surreal moment to the point that I even thought all of it was one grand cosmic prank," says Abishek.

'The accidental comedian', as he calls himself, holds an engineering degree from VIT. He switched to being a professional theatre artist when he got an offer to direct plays and train kids. 

"I was part of a drama club in college and directed a lot of plays. After I got this job, there was no turning back. My parents were very reluctant when it came to accepting my decision, and confused and scared for me as theatre is still not yet established. That changed when they came and watched my first show," he remembers.

Asked about his approach towards making videos, he said, "Since my target audience was teachers and students, I wanted to make it clean and relatable. As a comedian, I changed to clean comedy for the past one year so that everyone across all ages can enjoy. So many kids enjoyed the video and about ten children sent me their own versions of Mrs Janaki."

He notes that the most heartwarming reaction he received was from his school Principal. "I thought that she was going to scold me, but she told me that she received my video from a teachers' group and told me that she proudly mentioned to all of them that I was her student."

Abishek has till date published four episodes featuring Mrs Janaki's takes. The solar eclipse, the boycott Chinese products movement, online classes, even the debate on nepotism - the high-school teacher has covered it all.

"Every matriculation school teacher has always mentioned her school's full name, indulged in student bashing, saying, 'Idhu enna school ah ila fish market ah' and has compared the class with other sections, but to be honest, I have never had a teacher by the name of Mrs Janaki nor was this an attempt to mimic any of my teachers," he says.

When it comes to the COVID lockdown, Abishek, feels that even though it is a tough time for artistes, they should write and experiment and also ensure their presence online.

What will he do when the lockdown gets over? "I would really like to get back on stage.”

To start "koothaduchufying" again in Mrs Janaki's lingo? Probably!

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The New Indian Express
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