His friends, mostly from his hometown, Indore, gush excitedly, “Harmesh is a class act. He not only looks uncannily similar to SRK impersonator, Raju Rahikwar, but also mimics Raju’s mannerisms perfectly."
Harmesh Chandan, who has been doing stage shows in Indore ever since he discovered that he can mimic mannerisms of Raju Rahikwar, has become a big hit with Shahrukh Khan fans in Indore.
“Watching Chandan do the K-K-K-Kiran stutter act, you could easily believe that you are actually watching the great SRK look-alike, Raju Rahikwar.”, said Om Prakash, his childhood friend who has supported and encouraged him in his ambition to achieve the heights of SRK-impersonation achieved by his idol, Raju Rahikwar.
Though Shahrukh Khan has never repeated the over-exaggerated stutter of Baazigar in any of his later movies, hundreds of mimics, look-alikes and impersonators have made their careers by mimicking the legendary stammering act. “Chandan is extremely gifted. He does the K-K-K-Kiran thing as good as Raju Rahikwar. The slight twitch of the lips, stretched arms pose and the characteristic swagger.. it’s all there. I’m sure someday my friend will become as well-known as Raju.” added Om Prakash.
Event manager Mohan Sharma who organizes stage shows for local amateur singers, dancers and celebrity look-alikes, observes that every time Chandan does the K-K-K stutter, the audience explodes in peels of laughter. “He does this stammering thing with just the right amount of flair needed to impress the very discerning audience of Indore.”
Sharma forecasts a bright future for Chandan. “He is destined for greater things in life. I wouldn’t be surprised if few years from now he lands up with a minor two-minute role in some C-grade Bhojpuri spoof movie. If he continues to work hard in perfecting the open-armed, twitched lips pose of Shahrukh, he will soon become a competition to Raju Rahikwar.”
Meanwhile, in Mumbai, India’s most loved impersonator of Shahrukh Khan is confident about his ability to withstand competition from other impersonator. Asked about his competitive strategy to tackle threats from new challengers like Harmesh Chandan, Raju Rahikwar said, “I’m the best SRK-impersonator. My competition is only with myself, not with any other SRK-impersonator.”
