Ahead of his debut tour in Australia, comedian Azeem Banatwalla performs in Mumbai

Azeem Banatwalla at a performance in Mumbai

Comedy is just a tragedy in the long shot, said Charlie Chaplin, or at least people claim he did. For Azeem Banatwalla, it is just a natural reaction of observing the world around him. From the travails of living in Mumbai, a traffic-choked metropolis, to the struggles of self-existentialism, his comedy spans the relatable expanse of life in India. In April, the comedian will take these experiences Down Under to Australia for his debut tour at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

"Triple Threat is an hour-long show that I have been building up to over the last couple of months and deals with the identity crisis of growing up an English-speaking Muslim in India and doing comedy, observations and events around you," he shared.

Like his hilarious take on the Gokhale bridge on Instagram, we ask. "That comes from a place of pure anguish as someone who grew up around Juhu and Versova," he laughs, adding, "I have spent almost all of my life driving around the Gokhale bridge and Barfiwala flyover, one of which has not been functioning for half my life. In fact, it has come to such a point that once they open, I wouldn't know what to do."

The news cycle is one of his fountains of inspiration. The comedian says, "The news cycle is a great source. I like to write down an idea, and explore it to see how far I can go. Everyone has a different process, but I am just a faster writer." His latest one was a take on the flourish of the Maharashtra state government renaming railway stations. "Well, you can't blame them either. There is an election looming," he laughs.

While comedy might look spontaneous, it is anything but, he assures us. "These gigs are practice runs that enable me to test the writing," he admits. The only change being that the entire show is in English. "You adapt as you go along. It does limit my audience, then again, I was always a more English-speaking comic. I never was the guy to sell out shows in Gorakhpur," he admits. Understandably, the show will have a number of expats to test his work out on an international audience. With a performance scheduled from April 8 to 21 in Melbourne, he has little time to prepare.

Aside from rehearsing, the 35-year-old is also handling the tickets, visa applications, and formalities on his own. "People often think it is so much fun. But you travel overseas, tell a bunch of jokes and sometimes, lose money. The hope is that you break even," he concludes with his signature dry humour.

On March 26 to March 30; 4 pm onwards (multiple time slots)
At Khar Comedy Club; The Habitat: Mumbai, Khar West.
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Cost Rs 399 onwards