It's my line, anyway

A changing Indian audience welcomes stand-up comedy, and players rush to cash in on the new phenomenon.

Though we haven’t outgrown Santa-Banta jokes just yet, Indians have begun to appreciate a new crop of irreverent stand-up comics, who mock society, politics and themselves. They are the new Indian audience: young, well-travelled, and bred on international comedy thanks to cable TV. They will laugh freely at themselves, at jokes about life, love and even sex. They are fluent in English, and innuendo tickles their funny bone.

This changing scenario makes Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai an attractive proposition for stand-up comedy acts. In a bid to beat the competition and to boast of something new, pubs and cafeterias are clearing space for wannabe comics. Spotting such talent are event organisers and entertainment companies, such as the Vir Das Comedy Company, known for its Weirdass (notice the corruption of his own name) Hamateur Nights. The Bombay Elektrik Project (BEP), set up in 2008, organises comedy nights titled “Krack You Up” across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore. News Café, International Diner, Kuki, The Living Room and Café Oz in Delhi, and Blue Frog and Café Goa in Mumbai are popular spots for such events, with steadily growing audiences. Café Oz manager Abhishek Shankar says, “Wanting a change, we welcomed BEP’s concept of comedy nights. Our last show saw a packed house!” Neha Malhotra, head of BEP’s Delhi chapter, admits that they were “apprehensive, as comedy was unexplored territory, but now we have developed a dedicated audience base”.

 

Raghav Mandava, who dropped journalism to become a bartender and comedian, launched Cheese Monkey Mafia (CMM) with the blessings of Papa CJ. The latter, who was in the top 10 in 2008 at Last Comic Standing (an American comic talent show), kick-started CMM nights with his Shaken N Stirred show at Delhi’s Mocha Bar last year. Welcoming this platform, CJ observes, “Open Mics are an experimental space for novices to practice and veterans to fool around.”

Who are these ‘novices’? Names like Rajneesh Kapoor, Abish Mathew, Sayak Basu and Anushree Majumdar are gaining fame. Mathew peppers his jokes with songs that feature hilarious lyrics: “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus…” and “beep…beep…” goes the censor-meter. Basu and Majumdar draw on tragic childhood memories to spin hilarious acts. Kapoor, on the other hand, conveniently uses his typically Indian mother as fodder, describing how she just wants him to “eat more and get married”, and her eternal worry, that he will die in a bomb explosion at the market. Tapping into social and political realities we all recognise, these upcoming comics use humour and wit to leave the audience roaring with laughter.

Bringing a touch of international comedy to India is Don Ward, CEO of the UK’s renowned Comedy Store. The Comedy Store was set up at Mumbai’s high-end Palladium Mall at a budget that exploded from Rs 7 crore to Rs 20 crore, and launched, a year late, on 17 June 2010. International comics fly in each weekend, with Ian Moore, Mick Ferry and Louis Ramey bringing the house down last time. Priced at Rs 500-700 (plus Rs 350 for a snack and a drink), the tickets seem a bit steep, though you are getting popular international comics at a stage near you. Far down the scale, BEP shows come at a donation cost of Rs 100, while CMM performances are included in pubs’ cover charges of Rs 250-500, redeemable at the bar.

So do Indian comics ‘stand’ a better chance? More than cost, it is content that matters. Even the international comics at the Comedy Store got the most laughs when they made it apparent that they were clued in to what we find funny. A boy in the audience said he was a student, and Ferry asked, instantly, “Oh, so you go to Lovely Professional University, do you?” This guy — new to India — had obviously watched a lot of TV at his hotel. It was a full 30 seconds before the crowd hushed and he could move on.

To beat the ‘outsider’ tag, the Comedy Store is also going to think local. Through auditions to spot Indian talent, a new comic is showcased each weekend. Last time, it was Anuvab Pal, the 34-year-old who wrote the screenplay for the award-winning Loins of Punjab Presents. Asked about his subject matter, Pal responds, “It’s what’s known as New India. And growing up in the 1980s.” He sure struck a chord, joking about India’s pre-liberalisation era, when even a can of Coke was contraband and the customs officer was the Enemy.

So we’re left laughing and clapping, but what do the comics take away? Sure, Russell Peters made Rs 1 crore last year. But the new comics are just starting out. “If you’re any good, you’ll make between Rs 20,000 and Rs 2 lakh” per show, says Mandava.

It’s tough to get going. Papa CJ spent the first 10 months of his career in the UK, eating once a day, travelling to a pub somewhere in the country for his evening stand-up performance and then changing two or three buses (all he could afford) to reach home around 4:00 am. “Soon I had no friends, no family, no relationships, but I did 250 shows and became a familiar face for all the comedy promoters,” he admits. Even today, ask what he gets paid, and he replies, “One arm and one leg!” Still, he’s made it.

With more platforms on which they can prove their worth, it may get slightly easier for the new comics to catch a break on home ground. The stage is ready, the audience is laughing, and the open mics await. Stand up, and be counted.

LAUGH- A MINUTE

Today, 4 July 2010 

NEW DELHI: Abish Mathew, Rajneesh Kapoor, Sayak Basu and Raghav Mandava live at The International Diner, M-69, GK-I Time: 8.00 pm. Cover charges: Rs 250

MUMBAI: Roger Monkhouse, Pierre Hollis and Louis Ramey live at The Comedy Store, Palladium, High Street Phoenix,Lower Parel. Time: 8.30 pm. Tickets: Rs 500. Call 022-43485000 or book online at www.bookmyshow.com

6 July 2010 

NEW DELHI: Abish Mathew live at The Living Room, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi. Time: 8.00 pm

8–11 July 2010 

MUMBAI: John Moloney, Jo Caulfield, Thomas Stade live at The Comedy Store. Tickets and timings: Rs 500 (Thursday & Sunday, 8.30 pm) and Rs 700 (Friday & Saturday, 8.30 and 10.30 pm). Call 022-43485000 or book online at www.bookmyshow.com

14 July 2010 

NEW DELHI: Papa CJ live at The International Diner. Time: 8.30 pm

PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR...

“I’m from the land of the Kama Sutra; I can screw you in more ways than you can count.” This 34-year-old chose to do comedy after an MBA from Oxford. He has been making people laugh for five years, with over 1,000 shows worldwide
— PAPA CJ

“There are two kinds of comedians — writers and performers. I write and rehearse; it helps pull my act through.” This professional cartoonist has worked for newspapers like Mid-Day, The Telegraph, The Pioneer and Hindustan Dainik. He avoids sex jokes, because he feels those are the “easiest to laugh at”, and calls his humour “observational”  
— RAJNEESH KAPOOR

“Every 10 seconds you have to end with a punch-line, or else people leave.” A singer doing musical comedy, this RJ from Hit 95 FM first performed for family and 30 friends at a Delhi restaurant
— ABISH MATHEW

“I study comics, write, rewrite and edit jokes. My first show bombed, but now people appreciate me more.” A theatre-activist and writer, he started comedy in January this year
— AYAK BASU

“I’m half-decent at it.” A former journalist with NDTV 24x7, Zee Sports and Tehelka Foundation, he used to host comedy nights called Mandava Presents at News Café, Delhi, and now runs Cheese Monkey Mafia, which offers a platform to aspiring comics
— RAGHAV MANDAVA 

“I was tired of writing about other people and not doing anything myself.” Formerly with the Indian Express, she is now US-bound to study popular music and culture
— ANUSHREE MAJUMDAR