Rick, Morty and the Malayali

A Bengaluru-based designer is fusing elements of popular culture with his identity through videos and animations that are going viral

In artist and designer Joji Joseph’s short version of the sitcom Rick and Morty, the characters of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith aren’t American; they’re both just regular Malayalis. Sanchez dons a dull green lungi that reaches right above his boxer shorts, and Smith is clad in an incomplete set of overalls. The duo is raising all kinds of hell while spitting iconic Malayalam movie dialogues and zipping through the air in a shoddily-made rickshaw with trash cans for wheels. The entire video, available on Joseph’s Instagram page, is set against the backdrop of a song titled Straight Outta Kerala by artistes Kalla Sha, VKDV and Vaidhyan.

A still from a video of rapper Drake dancing to an Onam song

For Bengaluru boy Joseph, it was a passion project that took a month to get right. “I really liked the song when I heard it for the first time. I was obsessed with it. I really wanted to incorporate it in a project. While I was stuck on this thought, the trailer for the fifth season of the Rick and Morty show came out, and something clicked. This is what I finally came up with,” shares Joseph.

The clip that was released in August has gathered over 15,000 likes on the platform and is a clever marriage of subcultures, like much of his other work. A look-through the rest of Joseph’s page, called @bob_krustycrab, reveals his fascination with combining pop culture elements with his cultural identity. “There is an audience out there familiar with these characters and elements. I did a video of Drake, the rapper, dancing to an Onam song that became popular with everyone and not just Malayalis. Even those who don’t know how to speak the language are tuning in to watch these videos,” he says.

Joji Joseph

For the future, more interesting clips and artworks are already in the making. “I want to make sure that I make good videos, so the amount of effort I put in counts. Those are the only kind of projects I want to do. People who watch my content should know that hard work has gone into it. A lot of similar ideas are in the works and my followers also know what kind of content to expect from me,” he concludes.

Log on to: @bob_krustycrab on Instagram

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!