Uncle Subbu and the South

Roshan Siddharth

Instagram has over a billion users. And on an average day, a single user logs on to the app for 28 minutes. Only about five million to ten of them, assuming that they still use the app, remember what it was when it started: a cute little icon on a Samsung Corby/HTC desire/ iPhone 4 that helped the everyday dabble with photography.

The mammoth app has 95 million photographs uploaded daily and a billion influencers, actors, Instagram models, brands and bank on the app for maximum reach and fame, which the app dishes out gleefully. But there is one thing that the older app has been lost in transition. Warmth.

people to showcase their work. But overtime there has been a retrace to make sure everything looks insta friendly and out-do each other. In this pressure cooker of social media times, there is a breath of fresh air that is saving the selfie, party and portrait mode photo filled Instagram. The existence on comics and comic artists. Short, incredibly witty and irresistibly cute, these comics can bring a smile to anyones face. And a whole variety of topics are being dealt with in the form of storytelling that we see. Dog and cat relationships, modern human relationships, the stories of the average girl, a south Indian uncle and his tryst with the modern times. Yup, south Indian uncle and his tryst with modern times. The artist remains a mystery, but Uncle Subbu not.

Introduce Uncle Subbu and family.

Uncle Subbu is a middle-aged conservative South Indian Uncle trying hard to keep up with an ever-changing social atmosphere, in the modern times. His daughter, Ranju is a modern girl who understands her dad’s predicament and tries to find a balance between her ideals and his traditions. Ranju’s mom is not always featured, I am still trying to understand her persona.

Why a South Indian family and their everyday shenanigans for the basis of your comics?

I am South Indian. I thought it best to tell stories about things I’ve experienced in life and its intricacies very well.

How much of it is from real life? Have you recreated a comic that is a literal representation of what happened to you?

Many of my comics are inspired by real life incidents. Unfortunately, the comics are not absolute reproductions, but the essence and flavor are true to life. My father is a comedian. He may not be an innocent goof like Uncle Subbu is, but he doesn’t miss an opportunity to pull my leg or find humor in any situation. I think the closest recreation would be the 13th comic about Uncle Subus lazniness vs Ranju’s.

Who, what, when, where, why and how were you inspired to create USC?

I was on SkillShare, learning how to draw cartoon humans on Illustrator. When I had learnt all I had to, the first thing I drew was a half-bald man with a thick mustache. I kept redrawing him with different expressions, and he suddenly became a real entity. I decided on the name much later, and I didn’t draw a comic until a few months. You can say there was a good 4 months gap between me scribbling on Illustrator to me actually contemplating a comic account on Instagram. I drew the first comic directly on my laptop, without using a tab or a Wacom pad.

Although I’ve always been interested in art, my tryst and endearment with art began in college. It wasn’t until then that I learned to work with it, and that opened so many doors in my mind. The knowledge that art is malleable, with no set of rules was what finally engulfed me into it.

The artists journey with art is one of metamorphosis. What has your journey with art been and what it has made you want to do?

I’d say that growing up, I did not have any confidence in my drawing ability. I never ventured beyond the typical landscapes we all drew as kids. I did however express my creativity in different ways: writing, singing, theatre, script writing. I tried all modes of storytelling, and concluded that storytelling is what I wanted to do all along, regardless of the medium. Once I realized that, drawing did not scare me anymore, it was just a mode of communication. I love telling stories and art became my toolbox.

What made you do comics when the world is going the abstract art or design or memes way?

Comics are timeless! Everyone may not engage with design or abstract art. Of course, beautiful designs capture your attention for a while, but you draw a speech bubble with some dialogue, everyone will want to read it and give their perspective on it. People of all ages enjoy comics. It’s the most entertaining way to consume readable content, in my opinion.

Comic artists and book inspirations that led you to starting a comic:

Tinkle and Archie Comics were my favorite comics growing up. My favorite characters are Pinky, Tantri from Tantri the Mantri, and Principal Weatherbee and Jughead from Archie Comics. In fact, the few strands of hair on Subbu’s head

was a reference to Weatherbee’s hair.

What do you think of collaborative/crossover comics and would you like to do one?

I have done quite a few! Chain collaborations with other artists are my favorite! The Wildlife comic is one such example. Artist collaborations are so much fun! I haven’t done a one on one collaboration yet, but I would love to.

Most comics who started off on Instagram and facebook have expanded to books and merchandise? Do you think this is a healthy sign? Would you follow suit?

I think it’s great that social media has helped many people start their careers. Artists being able to make money by doing what they love? Who wouldn’t want that! I am comfortable where I am at the moment, so I may not follow suit yet, but I can see Uncle Subbu becoming a lovable book character. That’s way in the future though. For now, I just want to engage with everyone!

If someone were to make a film about uncle Subbu, how would you want it to be?

I love this question! Wouldn’t that be a dream? I’d say maybe something along the lines of Mr Bean, but more wholesome and less slapstick. Most daughters would relate to having a father like Subbu, I would like to reach out to them!

What advise will uncle Subbu give to a budding comic artist?

Keep drawing! Nothing is as rewarding as being consistent. If you are on Instagram, posting consistently will bring the right audience to you soon enough. And if you are drawing for yourself, consistency will help you grow.

In a world where artists however small or big like the attention they get, why do you choose anonymity?

I do want attention, but I want Uncle Subbu to get all of it, haha! In all seriousness, this project was a personal one when it started. I set targets for myself and I did not want anything affecting it. A few close people know who I am, but in general I feel that revealing myself might affect the authenticity of my work, so I didn’t. Removing myself from the comic made me look at it more objectively. I do however know that I’ll have to let my followers know who I am in the near future, and I am looking forward to that.

Where does Uncle Subbu as a comic and the artist go from here?

For now, its just more comics! I am researching on story arcs and recurring characters. The artist of Bestie the comic does this thing where he tells one story arc across a few weeks. They work amazingly well for him and his followers, and I am really inspired to do one myself.

Your space: Tell the world anything you’d like to:

Do visit Uncle Subbu and me on Instagram if you do.