Would you believe it if you were told that stand-up comedy is going to be the next big thing in our country? Well, running a different race, leaving their medical, engineering and business backgrounds behind, many youngsters today are opting for a career in Stand-up and are really happy about it.
Providing a platform for these budding artists, Sly Granny, Indiranagar is hosting an event, Bangalore Comedy Takedown and Mind Manifesto, on Sunday. The evening will see 12 comedians give their best shot at making you laugh while they make a fool out of themselves.
In a chat with a few of the comedians who will be performing, we find out what we can expect, what drives them and more...
Harman Preet Singh, a happy Punjabi settled in Bengaluru, and a sales and content creator, has always been interested in comedy but started performing and planning on taking it up as a career four years ago. He says, “I used to emcee for all the events that used to happen in my school and college, and jokes were a main part of it. When I watched Russell Peters perform and do so well I was certain I want to and could do it. Despite my love for comedy I cannot pursue it as a career just yet. It takes some time to establish yourself and grow in this field, and that is exactly what I’m doing now. It is exhausting but I would have it no other way. I like to mainly do observational comedy with a hint of the absurd. I really believe stand-up is a live experience so I like to deviate from my act and interact with the audience as well.”
Sumit Sourav promises a lot of absurd, silly but insightful jokes through his performance. A foodie and music junkie, Sumit says, “I feel the stage is where I belong. I started doing drama in my college days, and have given a lot of technical presentations in college fests. I started stand up in the final year of my college. I had seen Anirban Dasgupta live for the first time and asked him where I should start. He suggested open mics, so I went to one of the open mic in Kolkata, after few months I shifted to Bengaluru and continue to do the same here. My performances usually involve a lot of anecdotal and observations. My material is based on my experiences. I take observations from basic daily life situations, and show them with my perspective to the audience.”
Stand-up comedy is a field that gives you instant results. You know whether you stand a chance at it or not by looking at your audiences’ reaction. Does sexism stand a chance here?
“No”, says Ramya Ramapriya, a mechanical engineer who quit her corporate job to pursue a career in a field that she loves. Ramya who performs observational and anecdotal comedy says, “Sexism exists in every field but as far as stand-up is concerned, the audience doesn’t care whether you are male or female. If you can make them laugh, you are a hit. I was always influenced by comedy growing up due to my family and a few years back when stand up comedy boomed in India I started watching a lot of videos and I started exploring International stand up and I really liked it. So I decided to try it and now, here I am. Other than stand-up, my interests include painting, stitching, sitting on the couch watching comedy. Basically I am a 60 year old in a body of a 27 year old.”
