When was the last time you laughed really hard? If you’re thinking for too long, it’s probably a sign — to take a detour from the usual weekend pub hopping and instead, head to the Bengaluru Comedy Festival ’17. The fest, which marks it’s third edition this season, goes on till November 26. And, lucky for you, you needn’t wait until the weekend to catch some LOL sessions as this comedy extravaganza offers 10 days of mad ‘laughter.’
“We find beauty in the fact that humour is universal, and comedy really is an area where the ‘age-no-bar’ concept holds true. Also, let’s be honest: Other than banking your money on a movie release or just heading out for dinner, the only fresh forum that promises guaranteed entertainment is a comedy gig,” begins Adeel KQ. Non-stop laughter aside, one can witness a gamut of entertaining and engaging performances like solo shows, line-up shows, panel discussions, workshops, live podcast, fan jam, open mic and after-parties, along with drinking and dining options. “When we started out, we had very limited knowledge. We’ve evolved in terms of ideating, executing and now being able to successfully accommodate an inventory of 10,000 this season. I was invited to the prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival in February. It was the three months at Melbourne that helped us get an incisive view into how comedy festivals are run internationally. So, the exposure has helped us conjure up a fest that is a lot more inclusive this time,” states Sumendra Singh, founder, Comedy Wagon and conceptualiser and organiser, Bengaluru Comedy Festival.
Spread across 10 days, housing eight stages and 50+ artistes, this comedy-ganza will see popular city stand-up artistes like Aamer Peeran, Kjeld Sreshth, Kritarth Srinivasan, Neelaksh Mathur, Praveen Kumar, Prasad Bhat, Punya Arora, Satish Perumal, Sridhar, Suhas N, Venkatramana and Vamsi Bhogaraju. “I think people in this city love jokes. Whether it’s on someone else or you. I’ve drawn inspirations from subjects like demonetisation, traffic, travel and everything in between,” opines Sanjay Manaktala.
Punya Arora, adds, “I see this as a very positive atmosphere for both comics and people who love comedy. I’m excited as there will be a gamut of fun activities which makes this festival unmissable for people who appreciate genuine humour.” The prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow will also be featured at Bengaluru Comedy Festival with international artistes like David Quirk, Nikki Britton and Sam Taunton from Australia performing live at the fest. Hinting at how the fun is going to get crazier this time, Sumendra adds, “On Wednesday, we’re going to be having the longest open mic event. There are going to be solo shows, which have been designed as per international formats.”
— The event will be on till November 26 at The Collection, UB City and That Comedy Club Koramangala.
