Karunesh Talwar: Focusing on how women settle with mediocre men

Karunesh Talwar

Stand-up comedy was only a hobby when Karunesh Talwar started out at 18. Over 10 years and the Amazon Prime Video special, Pata Nahi Par Bolna Hai, later, it has evolved into his calling. The comedian is ready with another one-hour special, Aalas Motaapa Ghabraahat that he claims has a darker theme as he discusses his relationship with his parents and girlfriend. In a chat with mid-day, the funny guy talks about how his family reacted to the new offering and the influence of other comics.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

How is this special different from your earlier stand-up routines?
Every time I come up with a new show, I try to ensure that it is different from the last one. That said, because my perspective is unique to me, I may go to similar places, but with a greater deal of maturity. Usually, an hour-long special is about six to seven topics. This time, I have two topics - my relationship with my parents, and with my girlfriend. Essentially, the show follows a theme about how women in India are often forced to settle with mediocre men.
So, I make fun of my dad in the first half, and of myself in the second half.

How has the show's creation been different compared to the pre-pandemic time?
I would ordinarily do 40-50 shows for a tour in India, and then travel to the US, Australia, the UK with the special. So, I would get varied reactions to the same material, allowing me to work on the content with a greater perspective. However, in the pandemic, I have done about 25-30 Zoom shows, and about 40 live shows in Mumbai and Goa. That was my workshop for this special. So, it was harder to put this one together.

Romantic relationships and tuning with parents are a favourite with comedians.
When comedians talk about their parents, myself included in the past, they discuss the day-to-day observations about life with their family. What I am doing is a bit more uncomfortable than that. It's combative, confrontational, and a rather critical view of what is considered regular parenting. When they talk about their girlfriends, a lot of male comics [dole out] the same old sexist material. Here, I'm talking about how I lucked out by being in this relationship, how she puts up with me and how I have to work on myself.

Did you win any brownie points from your girlfriend?
I think she would be a lot happier if I went to therapy and worked on myself rather than just say all this on stage. She only insists that I don't do anything embarrassing.

Are you influenced by the work of other comics?
Absolutely, the fact that other comedians can influence you is a positive thing. If you are aware of where your thought came from and how that is influencing you, you can bring originality to it and sound different from your inspiration. That doesn't mean it is plagiarism. At the end of the day, anyone creating anything is inspired by a bunch of people who have done it before them.