Olympian Circus debuts in Coimbatore, treating people to traditional and modern acts

The Hindu

19-05-2025

There is less than 30 minutes to go for the Olympian Circus' evening show, but the artistes are relaxed backstage at their tents. Melody is walking with her baby on her hip while her friend and co-artiste Malemnganbi busies herself with making faces at the little one. In the tent next door, Leishem Khaidem and his team of gymnasts are lounging on plastic chairs. The artistes are all from Manipur, and are part of the 60-member circus company that was formed just a year ago. But they know their parts like clockwork and will transform into the entertainers they are trained to be as soon as the bell goes off.
This is Olympian Circus' first time in Coimbatore, and the company has pitched the big top at Sasthri Grounds after successful runs at Pune and Bengaluru. 'We have tried to keep up with the times by introducing new concepts,' explains manager V Devaraj. He adds that their acts are set to peppy music, with strobe lights and a disco ball adding a modern edge to the traditional circus stage. Most of the artistes are from Manipur, and joining them is a team of young performers from Mexico.
While the essence of the traditional circus still lingers, many acts feel new. The stage too, devoid of the tangle of ropes, cables, and nets that define a circus, appears modern, with a disco ball spilling stars all around. There is no live band with trembling crash cymbals announcing the entry of the star performers with a flourish; no clowns with painted faces and silly antics. But the Olympian Circus manages to entertain in its own way.
The show kicks off with the nerve-wracking Ring of Death. A circus staple, this makes way for a line-up that is a mix of the old and the new. Think stuntmen swallowing knives, lithe women with hula hoops, and smiling gymnasts arranging themselves into a pyramid. A favourite among the young and the old is a show of bubbles in which an artiste sends mammoth bubbles into the air with a range of equipment.
The children squeal as people dressed as Masha and her Bear do a little jiggle; their excitement knows no bounds when Bumblebee, the yellow robot from the Transformers series struts into the centre of the stage. A rather intriguing Spring Dance follows, which can only be described as a gigantic spring writhing its way across the stage, much like a gigantic silver worm.
What sets the show apart is the energy of the young team, many of them eager to impress with skills they have only recently mastered. Leishem, for instance, used to practice gymnastics for fun in his village of Khurkhul in Imphal West district in Manipur. 'I then met a few like-minded friends online who were also into gymnastics,' says the 28-year-old. Soon, they formed a team, and spent all their free time training. When an opportunity to join the circus came calling, they embraced it with open arms. The men are fluid and confident, and enthrall us with their performance which is coordinated to the T.
What's a circus without the Globe Of Death stunt? At Olympian, Manoj Kumar from Calicut is the star biker who zips across a metal mesh sphere in top speed. Off the bike, the 45-year-old is an ordinary bloke who also helps run the show backstage. But once he dons his helmet, he is someone else. 'I train my mind to focus on nothing but the sound of the engine,' he says. This is crucial, for it tells him that he is maintaining the necessary speed. 'I take the bike to a maximum speed of 60 kmph,' he explains, adding that it has been 25 years since he started riding inside a closed sphere.
'I've broken my arms and legs many times,' he chuckles. The risky stunt is not for everyone. 'I trained under Amar, who used to be in the military. He used to perform stunts with Jeeps,' he says. Manoj has worked with 22 circus companies and has performed at every State in India. Even today, he does feel the jitters when he enters the sphere. Says Manoj: 'But I send a quick prayer, and rev up the engine till I hear nothing else but its sound. I cannot afford to give in to fear.'
The Olympian Circus is on till May 25 at Sasthri Grounds, RS Puram. Shows are on at 4.30pm and 7.30pm on weekdays, and on weekends, there is an extra one at 1.30pm. Tickets, starting from ₹200, on Bookmyshow.