“Not all actors can be good stand-up-artistes. We wanted to explore something new, and we enjoy doing it as much as the crowd enjoys watching us,” says Mohit Sharma, who along with Ankita Shrivastav started performing stand-up comedy in an attempt to understand their capabilities.
The Mumbai-based duo concentrates on observational comedy and their performances are inspired by the lives of middle-class Indians, Bollywood and corporate lives. “This is a very organic art. Our subjects are mostly the everyday struggles of people that the audience can relate to,” says Shrivastav.
A lot of work goes into their performance. “If we have an idea, we turn it into a script. We brainstorm and add elements that we think are funny. The process can take anything from a day to a month,” Shrivastav tells me. Sharma adds that the essence of stand-up comedy is not only in the script. “The content or the script can do only 60% of the work. The other 40% lies with the performer’s personality. He should be quick, sensitive to others and capable of entertaining the crowd.”
Mohit Sharma
Once the script is ready, they rehearse and do trial performances. “We perform at open mike events and in front of friends to understand whether our jokes work. I don’t practice in front of mirror or camera because then I will be very self conscious, which kills all the fun,” says Sharma. Shrivastav says that they don’t do trial performances with each other as, “we know each other very well and are very predictable. That won’t work well in comedy.”
The duo agrees that the same joke can be perceived in different ways by different people. “What it is received with loud laughs from one group will get only a faint smile from another. Understanding the audience is the key here. Then we come up with spontaneous jokes,” Shrivastav explains.
Sharma believes that comedy is nothing new in India. “The vidushak is an integral part of all folk plays. But we started taking it up seriously only after stand-ups became a success in the US,” he says.
Shrivastav also agrees that “stand-up is important and popular in contemporary times as we face a lot of pressure. The audience comes with a lot of emotional baggage, which they want to shed during the session.” Sharma says that his audience are not conscious of themselves during the performance and don’t usually mind if subjected to a general joke.
Ankita Shrivastav
Both agree that stand-up has changed their lives. “As an actor, I also feared to be judged by others. I was always conscious about the way I looked and presented myself before the public. Now, after taking to stand-up comedy, I have shed my inhibitions. My fear of being judged is gone and I am happy that I help make someone else happy,” says Shrivastav.
Stand-up has boosted Sharma’s confidence. “I know I can do things other than acting now,” he says.
Talking about criticism, “If someone comes to the performance in an upset state of mind, nothing can make them laugh. The audience’s mood and attitude his important. I don’t let the audience reaction alone determine the quality of my content,” says Shrivastav. Sharma consciously steers away from lewd jokes. “I am not against such jokes, but I will not use those that will put down or hurt my audience.”
They have earlier performed in Mumbai and Gugaon and are excited about their show in Coimbatore. “It will be our first time in the city. I am actually looking forward to it,” Sharma says.
