“What is the full form of INC? Indian National Manmohan Singh Congress, where Manmohan Singh is silent” is just one of Shridhar Venkataramana’s jokes that went viral recently. The stand-up comedian has performed over 50 shows across Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune and Mumbai and traveled extensively to over 28 countries as well!
The IIM graduate from Bengaluru tries to keep his jokes clean and focus on different aspects of comedy. “I’m from a small town and mainly focus on the journey of a small town boy to a big city and all of the weird situations he encounters. I also focus on the other side of a topper’s life, since I am a topper myself. There’s this whole notion about how toppers are giant pricks and with the help of comedy, I try to break the stereotype,” says the 24 year old who also works as the digital key accounts manager at Star Sports! “I’m always asked when I’m going to quit my job and only focus on comedy. But I love my job and I love performing, so I just do both! So rather than sleeping or watching television after work and on weekends, I do comedy shows,” adds Shridhar who aims at being ‘the funniest CEO there will be’.
Shridhar, who has always been a goofball, has come a long way since his first performance at his college graduation. “Most people have been supportive of my performances, but there are always critics. I’m one of the nicest people in the market and do my best not to offend people, but there are always a few who call my jokes racist or sexist. I’ve come to learn that you can’t please everybody” he adds wisely. From performing at college fests to office events, Shridhar recalls his most memorable moment on stage “I was invited to perform at IIM with Kanan Gill, and it felt great to go back and be recognised as an alumnus. I also performed with Kenny Sebastian at NIT in front of 2000 people and that feeling was exhilarating,” adds the topper in conclusion, who is all set to perform The Weird, The Nerd and The Turd, on May 28 at Jus Trufs.
