auntie netta Returns

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I first saw Nimmi Harasgama on a plane. I don’t know what year it was. I think I must have been either on the way to Sri Lanka or on the way back; I was exhausted, but when I discovered a captivating Sinhala film, I didn’t want to sleep–I wanted to watch. I was particularly compelled by one of the film’s storylines, which featured a young woman desperate to find her missing husband. The actress had a striking face and delivered a sad and memorable performance. It was perhaps the first Sri Lankan film I had ever seen–indeed, because I found it in progress, I did not even get to see the whole thing. Still, I was transfixed, and impressed.

The dark feel of the film stayed with me for years. Then, in late 2008, a friend sent me a link to a Sri Lankan comedienne doing an auntie character I found hilarious. One of my favorite lines from the first video: “I’m calling from abroad–yes, that’s why I’m wearing a hat, and everything–you can’t see, no?” (At about 20 seconds in.)

When the friend mentioned that the actress had also appeared in the Sri Lankan film “Akasa Kusum,” I did a bit of Googling, and thought that without her auntie getup, she looked familiar. Had she been in the film I’d seen on the plane? I read the descriptions of the rest of the films in her IMDB history and realized that on that flight, I’d watched bits of “Ira Madiyama / August Sun”. She had played the young woman desperate to find her missing husband. And that luminous actress was ALSO auntie netta. Now I was intrigued.

Through the friend, I called the actress up for a chat and she told me a little bit about how she’d come up with auntie netta, and also that she was thinking of maybe developing the character into a stage show. I last posted about her right before that show, auntie netta’s Holiday from Asylum and promised a follow-up that would include a q&a with her.

This interview with Nimmi Harasgama, the award-winning London-based actress behind both of those performances, references that first conversation, so I’ll preface the q&a with some of the background I learned then… and will follow with another post including the more recent exchange.In our first chat, Nimmi told me she had been very shy as a kid, and that her mother took her to drama club in Sri Lanka as a way of helping her learn to speak more. She realized she liked performing–“being other people,” as she put it. She moved to England in the 1970s, and when she was 14, became involved with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. In the summer she did plays in the West End of London. Eventually she did compromised between drama school and university by going to university, but using her time there to do a degree in drama and theatre arts.

She got into film over the past decade, in Sri Lanka, where she was generally cast in serious and glamorous roles. Both Akasa Kusum and Ira Madiyama, by Prasanna Vithanage, won critical acclaim. (I need to try to get them so I can watch them properly. Akasa Kusum is in my Netflix queue; August Sun, sadly, isn’t an option.)

But while she had been successful as a dramatic actress, “nobody tends to cast me in comedy,” she told me. Creating auntie netta was her way to break out of that. If you’ve watched the auntie netta videos, you can see why at first I might not have recognized her. Indeed, as auntie netta she seems totally transformed.

How did she come up with auntie? Well, Nimmi told me, “She’s been in my head for years and I’ve not been brave enough to bring her out.” When she had to be home for a couple of months, she finally started experimenting with the character, who is a mixture of “different people in Sri Lanka.”

“And me,” she added. “I’m quite shy and boring and I’m a bit mad, I suppose.” If she was going to be like auntie netta when she was older, she guessed, she might as well start now. With bits and fragments of stories from real life, plus a considerable amount of her own madcap invention, auntie was born.

For some time, Nimmi and her co-conspirators filmed netta without a standard camera; they had only a webcam, and auntie’s early routines were limited because they were carrying around a laptop. Still, you can see from the early shorts that netta makes the most of what she has–she’s inventive in small spaces. (netta’s been a fan of “Skippy,” for example, the Internet VOIP service. Nimmi has since acquired some Flip cams and a standard videocamera.)

“First time on Skippy for you, no?”

Despite–or perhaps because?–of the comedy’s simplicity, viewers have really connected with it. “I get comments like, ‘This is my auntie,'” Nimmi told me. Some of the stories are based on real people, or aunties her friends have told her about–but she’s also different: “Basically she’s not exactly like all those aunties because she’ll actually say it the way it is,” Nimmi said. What’s happened to auntie over the course of her life, Nimmi noted, has made her a person who’s honest and to the point.

Now, Nimmi would like auntie netta to have a more elaborate stage. When we first talked, Netta was hosting a comedy show and Nimmi was thinking about the one-woman show. Nimmi didn’t want her to just be a caricature, and was looking at the whole idea of people seeking asylum in England as a possible concept for the show. Auntie’s Sri Lankan, but she isn’t supposed to be particularly Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, or Burgher. “I want her to be able to talk about them all and get away with it,” Nimmi said.

Here’s a link to auntie netta making reference to multiple Sri Lankan identities (and there are also some in the second video embedded above, if you watch the whole way through–and a reference to the developing storyline of her seeking asylum). (You’ll note that this link includes a collaborator, the awesome D’Lo. More on that in the next post.)

Nimmi herself is part-Sinhalese and part-Tamil. She has worked in a few different jobs in Sri Lanka in addition to her acting, including a stint at Young Asia Television. She speaks Sinhalese and understands Tamil, and has been planning to study Tamil more formally. She moved to London because she wanted to give acting in English a go.

“There should be a space for different types of comedy,” she says. “We’re all just having fun… with a small message.” And Auntie Netta is gutsy enough to deliver that message. “I wish I could just be her the whole time. I could get a whole lot more done in life, I’m telling you!” Nimmi said.

At the comedy show, her first public outing, “people just warmed to her. People wanted to have autographs taken with her and hold her hand.” No matter how difficult auntie was, “they loved her,” Nimmi said. Kind of a can-we-be-your-nieces-and-nephews-type situation. What does she tell those who ask if Netta will be their auntie?

“Come, darling. Of course,” she said, immediately slipping into her netta-voice. Of course, she added, she was stroking her cheek as she offered the invitation.

60 thoughts on “auntie netta Returns”

  1. Thanks for sharing this, Vasugi. With the way things are today, I think there is tremendous room for comedy like this that makes people laugh but also reflect as well. I hope she is able to develop a live show, something along the lines of what Sarah Jones does, and take it places.

    Are the movies in Sinhala subtitled?

  5. great stuff… keep it up nimmi!!! boston mahesh – you know what they say about opinions…! 81% on funny or die think it’s funny…

  8. i thought it was hilarious the first time I saw the old web-cam vids but i don’t see how people who are not Sri-Lankan would do so ( at least as consistently as I did).

    The ascending and descending pitch of her voice, for me, is the back-bone–it sounds exactly like how nearly all of my conversations with overseas aunties go: topical discussion veering straight into ‘serious’ things and then back again and all with the uuuup–and-dooooown pitch. She could work in any number of generic corruptions of the names of modern things and it would still be funny. Of course, this was something Kamal Haasan perfected in a movie I cannot immediately recall but to see another exponent of the art is great!

    i’m surprised there are no kottu-sourced haters commenting. that’s another can of beans.

  11. vivek,

    i’m waiting to hear back from amma–this is one of those i watched half-asleep but awoke for the sri-lankan speech impressions.

    purple,

    blog aggregator.

  14. I haven’t seen too many Sri Lankan films lately, but I honestly thought Nimmi H. was the most talented Sri Lankan actor/actress I had ever seen, especially when the dialogue’s in English.

    I liked Auntie Netta, too, but I think she’s too talented to get pigenholed in to such a narrow scope of comedy.

    Move to L.A, Nimmi. Find a good agent. There is certainly a need for talented actresses with your profile.

  15. vivek,

    yes, you are correct! the distinction is less clear in Tamil but he really does nail it. You have to kind of inhale as you speak.

  16. @kk: Glad you enjoyed it! More to come. Yes, there are subtitles.

    @boston_mahesh Sure, people’s opinions on humor vary. But I find her HYSTERICAL.

    @Supriya W. Like I said, I was all the more impressed once I realized that auntie netta was also the woman from August Sun. Which I MUST MUST MUST find again so I can watch it all the way through properly. She’s doing a range of stuff. No pigeonhole here.

    @Nandalal Yeah, I wondered the same thing about the Sri Lankan frame of reference… but I have quite a few non-Sri Lankan friends who also think auntie netta is funny. That said, wait until you see the videos I link in the next part. There are some Sri Lankanisms she just has down to a tee!

    Thanks all for reading…

  17. VV , I really appreciate your effort to focus on Sri Lanka in Sepia Mutiny(Loved the interview with Sumi) but I’m sad to say that Nimmi is not funny.81% of Funny or Die people does not make it funny. Funny is funny no matter what. Do you think Steve Martin and Tyler Perry over the top impressions funny? If yes, all the power to you, Nimmi must have been a hoot! There is something sinister in Nimmi’s comedy which goes way beyond Steve or Tyler. The Sri Lankan upper class (Colombo centric, it is a small country) propensity to point fingers and laugh at the people they think just below their social class. These clips show that you can take a girl out of Colombo but you cannot take Colombo out of a girl. Nimmi gets out of the country, get a foreign degree can speak perfect English and moves with the cool crowd .Look at Aunty Netta. She does not know what she is talking about! There has been a strong tradition of this kind of comedy so in a way Nimmi is being authentic. Colombo centric English speaking crowd (Sort of Aunty Netta’s social class) loved laughing at the immediate social class they perceive to be below them, the Sinhala Elite, for 100 years. Every year there are 2 or 3 drama’s produced as school plays which makes fun of people who does not get English(schools like St.Thomas’s ,Royal ,Ladies or Methodist).Udu Rawana Jokes has been a staple of this class for 50-60 years. So what happen’s in the next social rung? Sinhala elites and the middle class with their inability to speak English has been laughing at Tamils for their inability understand Sinhala and their Sinhala accents.”Sergent Nallathambi” which was the best grossing stage drama for 5 years in late 80’s made fun of a Tamil Police officer’s Sinhala accent. For while , It looked like nothing could stop Nihal Silva, the actor who played Sgt. Nallathambi, until he was shot at for not stopping his SUV at a security checkpoint during 88-90 JVP insurgency(The police officers who shot him realized it was him only after the incident). I guess laughing at other people accents or language ability is not unique thing and prevalent in every culture.In Sri Lanka it is used as a weapon to keep the others down. The folk drama ,in the form of “Thovils” or Sokari uses Indian immigrant characters mispronouncing Sinhala to extract laughs. They are close to 500 years old so this is not a new phenomenon. If you try to draw what Sri Lankans think funny, it comes as this. Foreign educated “posh” crowd–>Local elite who speaks English–>Sinhala speaking elite and middle class –>Tamils and Sinhala speaking lower class –>Indian immigrants So Nimmi is not doing anything new .She is continuing the great Sri Lankan tradition. It could have been funny if the diagram was like this. Nimmi–>Nimmi OR Foreign Educated “Posh” Crowd –> Foreign Educated “Posh” Crowd

  18. I find Nimmi’s act overwrought and stale and very unlike good and great comedy which is really smart. Yes (confession) I do enjoy more than a little “ethnic humour” as long as it is not the put down kind or does not reinforce an imbalance of power – which is v.rare. So I dislike all those Hindi movies in which Bharatanatyam was routinely dissed, but enjoy Padosan to this day! And I can do that because of anything Tamizh movies have made fun of Hindi/Telugu/Kannada/Malayalam for years, but these days it is some healthy self-mockery as well so it is OK. But then what do you call it when a supposedly sophisticated director like Mani Ratnam has pwned Malayalis as well as Delhiites in two different movies to lay out an inane comedy track? Ethnic humour is best when it is used to laugh at prejudice rather than laugh in prejudice. Which is why the late Bernie Mac will be my favorite comedian for the risk he took with a movie like Guess Who? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djGLBzR4FDg Chris Rock is getting there.

  19. Ooops!I meant Martin Lawrance and Tyler Perry not Steve Martin and Tyler Perry.

  20. i love all of these Auntie Netta videos.

    They are hilarious because i recognize in them people i have met all over the world who were originally from south asia.

    unfortunately, some of our south asian people can’t laugh at themselves or refuse to see the humor that exists in the way they act & their accents. But i guess that is true of all ethnicities and peoples. Just get over yourselves people.

    it seems chandare’s own class biases are leading her/him to attempt to stereotype Nimmi and to put onto her & Auntie Netta all her/his own insecurities and shortcomings.

    Nimmi is an extraordinarily talented actor (i found this by googling her http://nimmiharasgama.com) & though i’ve never met her i’m sure she’s a lovely person

    Auntie Netta is funny. chandare & jyotsana are insecure If you don’t have something nice to say why not just move on. Didn’t your mother teach you nuthin’?

    peas & luv me beauties

  22. Auntie Netta is funny. chandare & jyotsana are insecure

    funny stuff, you must have a reading comprehension problem or not familiar with Hindi movies, which I doubt since you seem to be from Sri Lanka. Padosan

  23. I love Aunty Netta and I love Nimmi H. She’s brilliant and funny and subversive in her humor. Unless you do this work for a living, people don’t understand how much thought goes into comedy. And as always, it is a process – one that is so worth moving forward with because it is a gift that is one’s duty to share. Thanks to Nimmi for being bold in her humor and for representing the oddities of Lankanz and for being a dope actor. I know, first hand, that she is dedicated to her craft and to the liberation of all people. Someone I am honored to work with and have a GREAT time working with. Love light laughter. Thanks Sugi:)

  24. Having seen Auntie Netta live as well as on her many online videos, I’ve got to say that she captures my Sri Lankan family perfectly – the combination of annoying aunt with an amazing story to tell to anyone who has only ever lived on these shores is wonderful.

  25. funny stuff , I’m just placing Aunty Netta in context. I haven’t watched any of her films in full length but I saw the show reel .She seems to be really talented and smokng hot! It does not make Aunty Netta funny. For some people Randyyy might be funnier that Aziz Anzari.It is their problem. I like the actress I saw in the show reel and certainly watch her movies. I checked out several Aunty Netta clips in You Tube. It is not funny 99% of the time. The Lesbian rapper in one of the clips is called Delogini( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKuLjcn4etA ).Well that is some funny shit!( if you get the recent history of Sri Lanka and diaporic activity around the time of LTTE’s fall)

  26. @chandare: huh? What’s this have to do with the LTTE? you must he one of the kottu bloggers some warned of earlier.

  28. All the stuff I’ve seen online and live is fantastic!!! Absolutely hilarious!!! Keep up the great work Auntie Netta!!!

  29. Please keep Auntie Netta alive and well. I’m not Sri Lankan but can see the very funny side to Auntie. Nimmi is fantastic a great talent. Just want to know where Auntie buys her clothes?

  30. I am a big fan of auntie netta – saw her live recently and thoroughly enjoyed it – had me in tears of both laughter and sadness. Can’t wait to see more. My 6 year old daughter is also a big Auntie Netta fan but to be fair has only seen the rhine-horses clip!! Keep up the great work Nimmi.

  32. Auntie Netta should be on SNL. Great character! I would love to see her live.

    Now here is an interesting proposition. What if Auntie Netta went on SNL – would we still be laughing, that is south asians, desis, etc? If her character is shown in a show that is created by nonSouth Asians how would that affect how humorous she is?

  33. looking forward to the next installment V.V. @PS – you’re a racist. who cares who created the show, any show? you’re a racist if it matters to you. funny is funny, no? hmmm, what if an irish person went on a japanese show or a canadian on an american show? would we still be laughing? get over yourself. this is why i don’t hang out with many 2nd generation desis – their struggles with identity just annoy the f*ck out of me. Just be man, just be & don’t sweat the details

  34. @PS & racist: this reminds me of a good story before i left sri lanka this Tamil-British girl, black as anything, was visiting a friend in colombo and was going to jaffna the next morning. well, i said, “ah, going back to the homeland! Excited? First time?” She made a sour face and said, “i’m British… my parents were from Jaffna” i laughed my ass off and told her, “Yes, i’m sure those BNP guys think you’re the quintessential english rose. You’ve got some identity issues to work out woman.”

  35. @fitting in – “sure those BNP guys think you’re the quintessential english rose” ha ha ha ha superb!

    Okay, I’ve watched auntie netta a couple of times, but must admit i get sick of it quickly. Reminds me of a woman at the Mt Lavinia ‘pola’ when I was growing up. Also sounds like those Dehiwala burghers from down Melford Cresent (I better change my name quickly) when the winds been blowing their way and they’ve all high on the fumes from ‘Williams Grinding Mills’, like they do. Besides auntie netta, I don’t know who Nimmi Harasgama is dear, but I know her boyfriend, and so sorry darling, I can’t bloody stand him.

    bless

  36. Racist, calm down…I really wish people like you wouldn’t throw the word racist so easily.

    I find Auntie Netta funny! I’m conjecturing if her character was on snl how that would make the rest of us, including folks who find her funny, feel.

    Here’s a few discussions where we’ve had somewhat of the same issue come up…I mean the Ravish skit on SNL…I hated it!

    http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/mar/15/snl-skit-smacks-of-stereotypes.htm

    http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006165.html

    http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/004649.html

  37. @fitting in – “sure those BNP guys think you’re the quintessential english rose” ha ha ha ha superb!

    Who the hell cares what some narrow-minded British folks think is the only identity this girl can have. I’ve had recent encounters with young desis who are going through this same sort of identity – British, American or Indian. I can kindof understand – I don’t think it’s b/c they are dogging their south asian ancestory, rather they are trying to make sure British or American racists understand, that Indian-Americans are Americans.

  38. “this is why i don’t hang out with many 2nd generation desis – their struggles with identity just annoy the f*ck out of me. Just be man, just be & don’t sweat the details”.

    And I bet they’re gutted that you don’t hang out with them – you sound like such a cool guy.

    Maybe if you had some of those struggles yourself you might see the other side.

  39. @35 well now, guilt-by-association has finally made an appearance–only about 2 days after I thought it would.

  40. I just love this auntie Netta character and this outrageous and unique humour. I am very grateful for all the laughter she has brought to myself and to so many others. Please keep entertaining us with this wonderful, lovable auntie and keep up the good work!

  41. some of you seemed to have missed the little “disclaimer/guidance” that appears before the comments field in your rush to express your negativity… ” Requests for celebrities’ contact info or homework assistance; racist, abusive, illiterate, content-free or commercial comments; personal, non-issue-focused flames; intolerant or anti-secular comments; and long, obscure rants may be deleted. Unless they’re funny. It’s all good then”

    I like netta, think she is crazy but definitely strikes a chord. If you dont think she’s funny, if you think she’s crap, why not just click to another page?

  42. I agree with Nandal & ‘oh please’: what does Nimmi’s boyfriend have to do with this performance/topic or anything? i really dont know if she has one or not anyway but it is a touch off topic and/or irrelevant. Are these more sri lanska kottu sourced flamers? So much anger on that little island. Wow.

  44. Sorry but not funny. The hat part made me smile a bit but the rest was just lame. She overacts with her facial contortments. Too distracting.

    I prefer the aunties on Goodness Gracious Me (My son lives in the White House)…..

  46. Any video that can keep popping back into my head throughout the day and make me laugh is more than just funny. Her work across the board is outstanding. I’ve watched Nimmi’s films and appreciate her ability to switch characters, a sign of a true actor. Wish I could have seen her recent “Henna” tour. Awaiting your next encounter with life Auntie Netta!

  48. aunty netta rocks. i think nimmi is really pretty and to see her turn into ghastly funny creature so convincingly calls for a lot of talent… im not srilankan but i know a lot of indian aunties who are like this! auntie netta deserves to go bigger and get even more stupid! love the dirty bits!!!!

  49. Funny, funny, funny! We all know an auntie netta, knew an auntie netta, or will become an auntie netta no matter who we are or where we are from. Auntie netta needs to be on stage, the comedy show proved that.

  50. I think that good comedy is always on the edge, slightly provocative, and sincere in its attempt to be true to reality. For me, the character Auntie Netta does that. All good comics take time to mature and find their rhythm, their material and their audience. Auntie Netta is maturing and developing, and is tackling issues of sex, immigration, asylum and daily crackups, building a strong following, showcasing her act at large venues and having the time of her life!

    Also I would like to point out that ‘Sri Lankan’ comedy IS different from other ‘South Asian/Indian’ comedy, especially those that have made it over to a Western audience (e.g. Vadivel and Goundamani’s comedy act which has me in tears from time to time, would NOT carry well over to other audiences, and is very different from the Kumars at 42. So it’s alright if some people don’t find it funny, or ‘overwrought’ – everything Sri Lankan imho IS OVERWROUGHT and all the better for it!!

    I think the greatest crime that an artist could do is try to please everybody. Kudos to Auntie Netta for being an original creation, and a much needed one on the world stage. And this is AS Sri Lankan as anything else, accents or not, elitism or not (which are both by the way, what the character is inherently mocking; not the subjects of her dialogues).