Charlie Chaplin had said, “Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain”. A growing tribe of talented stand-up comedians seem to be living by this philosophy and also making a living out of spreading the joy of laughter.
While the concept of stand-up comedy is gaining momentum in major metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, it has also gradually become a popular medium of entertainment in other parts of the country. The growing interest in the genre has resulted in a surge in the number of comedians and comic groups who perform regularly. Vizag was introduced to this new concept of entertainment last week, which saw popular stand-up comedy artiste Neeti Palta leaving the packed audience in stitches. Interestingly, the concept has caught the attention of many people in Vizag who have now formed a Facebook page called >Vizag Komedians that aims to connect people with similar interests.
“Comedy groups are springing up in various cities with Chennai being one of the most recent. Every city has potential stand-up comedians,” says Raouf Gangjee, a stand-up comedian who started a group called Kalkutta Komedians three years ago. Hoping to create a vibrant stand-up comedy culture in the city, Raouf is now forming a similar team with Vizag Komedians. Its Facebook page has already garnered more than 2,000 likes.
Neeti Palta, who has been in this industry for four years now, terms stand-up comedy as the new wave in entertainment. “With many corporates warming up to the concept, there are many platforms to present your talent and reach out to the crowd,” she says.
So where does one begin from? Neeti says one has to have a funny bone but talent needs to be honed as well. “For starters, I would suggest, watch some You Tube videos. Stand-up comedy is essentially about timing. Many new people come in for open mics but they start talking on the stage like they so when they are in a group of friends. That never works. Watch the videos carefully and assess how the timing works. Use your personal experiences, write down just three minutes of matter, then come on stage and try it. You may fail the first time. But if you have the passion, you have to keep at it. It will only improve over a period of time,” he says
Stand-up comedy is finding its fleet in the country. Earlier this year, Vir Das hosted the maiden edition of The Weirdass Pajama Festival (TWPF) to celebrate comedy and give performers a platform. The event brought together around 70 stand-up artistes who performed at over 95 shows.
For some, the idea of stand-up comedy is also a way of expressing their views related to anything in a fun kind of a way. “So people can laugh and at the same time they get a topic to think about,” says 23-year-old KR Amit, who is a member of the Vizag Komedians group and an aspiring stand-up artiste.
Mastering the art of timing is not that easy. According to Raouf, there is only one way to really learn. “That is by performing-whether at small gatherings or big shows. Andy Zaltzman, a well-known British comedian, once told me that before you have done 100 shows you don't know what you’re doing,” he adds.
While spontaneity helps, Neeti says that if you go off-track you should have some backup list of jokes that you know will bring the audience back in track. Neeti has entertained audiences in over 150 shows across cities. “My favourite cities where I have performed are Chennai and Hyderabad. Hyderabad was a perfect crowd – they appreciate humour and are also comfortable with Hindi. I thought Chennai would be conservative, but they surprised me with their wonderfully receptive behaviour, so was Coimbatore,” she says.
