It is going to a funny Friday as four entertainers promise unlimited fun and jokes as they present their stand-up show — ‘Theory of Relativity – all about relationships.’ On the eve of the performance, Avinash Agarwal, Rohit Swain, Sai Kiran and Hriday Ranjan of the Hyderabad-based group Funny Side Up share the excitement of being on stage and making people laugh.
Elaborating on the title of the show, ‘Theory of Relativity’ Rohit observes, “Our relationships begin the day we are born. We have a relationship with our parents, sister and girlfriend. We have a relationship with our friends once we go to school and college. Our entire lives revolve around relationships.” At the event, Rohit will unleash jokes from his personal side. “I will talk about my mother who scolds and compares me with ‘Sharmaji ka beta , about my dog, my girlfriend who rants that I am doing nothing but stand-up comedy and that I am talking to other girls on Facebook,” he laughs.
Of skits and parody songsADVERTISEMENT
The show will see four members performing solo and there will be sketches which are skits and parody songs revolving around saas-bahu . Sai Kiran was a research consultant before he donned the role of a stand-up comedian. A great admirer of stand-up comedian Praveen Kumar, Sai says it is exhilarating to watch the crowd break into laughter. “It works like a tonic to watch the audience roll in laughter within a fraction of second and you know the jokes have worked,” he says. Sai will open up with lots of personal stories and share his own experiences. His memorable moment was when he opened for Praveen Kumar at a performance at State Art Gallery.
A Hyderabadi, Avinash worked as a writer in Mumbai before shifting to his hometown. “The Mumbai audience is more exposed to stand-up comedy unlike Hyderabadis who are only now raising a toast to this genre,” points out Avinash. The content for the show is mostly scripted but the spontaneity comes out when the comedians interact with audience. “When we talk to members of the audience, the live interaction uncovers fascinating facets,” states Avinash.
Hriday Ranjan has been running a blog for seven years now. When he won the open mic contest organised by the group, he embarked on his journey as a stand-up comedian. “My take will be on the Indian family saga and it is quite an exciting role. I take laurels and brickbats in equal stride,” smiles Hriday.
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Rohit says that the stand-up culture is slowly building up in the city. “People are accepting jokes in a positive way. The quality of jokes has improved and the culture has started slowly,” he states.
With shows across Hyderabad, Vizag and Pune, the group plans to start a YouTube channel soon.
(Funny Side Up will perform today at Altitude in Hotel Marriott and at Truffles Café on May 31.)