Sahil Khattar talks about his journey to the top of the comedy ladder

Still from Gaano Ka Rafu Center

Chandigarh boy Sahil Khattar could be credited for changing his city from a sleepy retirement town to a nocturnal one. His radio show, Love Guru, which he hosted when he was just 18 years old, and which aired from midnight to 2 am, became a hit thanks to his witty solutions to everyone's love problems. "So, of course my producer at that time asked me, 'you're so young, why should anyone listen to you about their love lives?', and so I said, 'throw me a problem, and let me help you'." The producer told him about a possessive lover who wouldn't even let her go hang with her girlfriends and this is what Khattar said, "I just said take him along for one of these girlie outings, and, after half an hour he would any way want to leave. He would never object again." And, thus, began Khattar's comic career.

At 30, Khattar is now a well-known face, thanks to his Being Indian show on YouTube, where he walks the streets of India having hilarious conversations with regular people. Now, he is also hosting Gaano Ka Rafu Center on MTV Beats. This one is all about poking Bollywood, by making fun of the lyrics. But he is also in character as Salim Suimia, your local tailor, dissecting famous songs word by word, analysing the reason behind their use. Talking to Khattar, it's easy to comprehend why he chose comedy, as he cracks a joke almost every second. He knew early that this was going to be his fate though. "After I flunked Std 11, I figured I'd have to choose something else . Academics wasn't my cup of tea," he says. He started doing theatre and became a "rebel without a cause". "You know how it is. Ugly people don't get attention. So I would say things that were against the popular tide, like 'Oh is Ru Ba Roo the best song from Rang De Basanti? Well, I think it's Khalbali!" he laughs. "Yes, I was that guy, and that's what eventually led me to Mumbai."

Sahil Khattar

But coming to Mumbai wasn't an easy task. His father, who ran a furniture material business along with owning an Idea franchisee, wanted each son to take over one business. "So, I lied. I said I had been invited to enter a reality show and would go to Mumbai and get a job," he says. Once he came here, the lying didn't stop. Even though he was staying at a chawl, and drinking Rs 5 chaas with a Rs 5 Bourbon packet, he told his parents he was living in Bandra in a one BHK. He started writing for shows such as India's Got Talent, and once Being Indian launched, he realised he was on the right path.

Right now, Khattar is busy planning his MTV show. "As Salim Suimia says, he tells the truth that bites." He is also not stopping the climb to the top because as he says, his journey till now has taught him that he has "accomplished only five per cent of what I could. Ninety five per cent is still left."