“I was born in Bengaluru and raised in traffic,” says Jagdish Chaturvedi. He is visiting the city on the invitation of Vizag Komedians who have organised a three-day workshop for stand-up comics at Moksha Cafe. Jagdish is a popular comedian back home in Bengaluru and there is much more to him. He is a surgeon with a passion for theatre. Two years ago, he was listed as was one of the 35 innovators under the age of 35 recognised by MIT Technology Review.
Three months ago, he realised aspiring comedians in the country needed some help and training and so he released his special — Comedy Khichdi along with Victorious Secrets. This had tips for aspiring comedians on Gigsy, an online platform for artistes. It addresses unfunny but real issues such as ‘How to test your stand-up comedy material, ‘What to do when the audience doesn’t laugh’, ‘How to handle a heckler during your comedy show’ and so on.
Jagdish has already conducted 15 such workshops and senses a growing need for such events. “I have an advantage of moving early into an untapped industry. But this will change as many other comedians may start doing this.”
Fifteen aspiring stand-up comedians participated in the workshop in the city with one of them being from Bhubaneshwar.
Comedy 101
In the first half of the workshop, Jagdish explained the importance of creating a relatable persona on the stage. According to him, it’s critical to get into the character within the first 10 seconds of the show. He explained, “The audience works as a unit, therefore, it is a good idea to have reference points while constructing a joke.” According to him, when the audience begins to understand the jokes, a comfort zone is built which allows experimenting with different things. He also reminded the participants to work on body language and assured them that their content and stage presence would improve with each performance.
Stick to basics
Jagdish feels a good performer makes comedy look a lot easier than it is. “Many people try to build a character by adapting styles of people who they have seen online. Instead of doing that, work on the basics like eye contact, voice modulation, movement on stage and the structure of the jokes.”
The workshop ended with advice on preparing for a show keeping the specific audience in mind. He also shared information on building an online portfolio. Jagdish explained how to change content with each kind of audience. For example, he said, “I avoid boss-and-employee jokes at corporate shows as even if the jokes may be funny, it may make it difficult for people to enjoy them wholeheartedly. After all, who wants to upset their boss!”
Manik Mehta from Vizag Komedians said: “We decided to organise this workshop because we want the new comers to learn from the industry experts and join us for open mics more often.” In last few months, Vizag Komedians has brought in well-known other comics like Aadar Malik, Bhargav Ramakrishnan aka Baggy and Angad Singh to entertain the city.
