Mighty wise move for Karou Charou

SOMETHING OF AN ENIGMA: The infamous and razor-tongued Karou Charou is back with a side-splitting new one-man show.

SOMETHING OF AN ENIGMA: The infamous and razor-tongued Karou Charou is back with a side-splitting new one-man show.

Published May 27, 2014

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DURBAN’S infamous Karou Charou is to launch his new one-man show, Maha Dhir, in KwaZulu-Natal next week.

Karou remains an enigma to his audiences, as he’s opted to stay hidden behind his traditional Eastern outfits, headgear, dark glasses and bling.

Tonight caught up with the “turbaned one” to find out more about his new show, which apparently will also include magic and hypnosis.

He explained that, Sanskrit in origin, “Maha” means “power” or “mighty”, while “Dhir” refers to being “wise”, adding that “‘powerful’, ‘mighty’ and ‘wise’ are certainly words that describe the turbaned one’”.

“I try to reinvent myself and come up with something new every year. Coming up with new stuff is a challenge, but I stick to my tried and tested format.

“I play to predominantly Indian audiences, and I try to play to what they know and love, and what has made them identify with me.

“My show involves a lot of audience interaction. In my last show I did some mental telepathy tricks, so the audience can expect to have something in that range.

“In the past six months, I’ve been working on my hypnosis, so hopefully by the time I get on stage I’ll have it down to a fine art. So anybody looking to cure some nasty habits like smoking, nail-biting, and so on, I’ve been told a bit of hypnosis can help. It’s going to be therapeutic and funny at the same time.”

Karou’s debut show, Kama Sutra, was a sell-out. His next one-man show, Don’t Dalla Wid Da Masala, enjoyed an equally successful run.

We asked Karou to what he credited the popularity of his shows.

“When I first went on stage, I wanted to try my hand at doing comedy. So I wore a disguise and went on stage with the idea being that if I flopped no one would know.

“So I went on stage and, strangely enough, the disguise worked. People didn’t recognise who I was. But the character became an enigma who piqued people’s curiosity.

“Also, the disguise allows the audience to be a bit more free and open when they interact with me, because they don’t know who they are talking to.”

Karou said audiences could expect Maha Dhir to be “like a Bollywood movie, only shorter… and without subtitles”. “It’s not recommended for sensitive viewers with no pulse.”

• Rated PG18, Maha Dhir opens on June 6 and 7 at Sibaya Casino. Tickets R100 at the Spar pharmacy (Northway Mall), R120 at Computicket. June 13 at Aryan Hall (PMB). Tickets R100 at the Spar pharmacy (Northway Mall), R120 at Computicket. June 15 at Durban City Hall. Tickets R100 (early bird special) at Computicket, with limited buy two, get one free special. June 28 at Richards Bay Casino. Tickets at the casino. July 4 in Umzinto, July 18 in Port Shepstone, August 2 in Ladysmith. See Computicket.

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