’Mera beta joker banega!’

It's time to put those brains aside and flex that funny bone with on-stage comedians today

'Mera beta joker banega!'

It's time to put those brains aside and flex that funny bone with on-stage comedians today

Humour lies in spontaneity, that's what today's comedians believe. And this time Delhiites will have to try hard not to fall off the chairs as stand-up comedians are here to ensure that you are in splits all evening.

Raghav Mandava

Journey so far
The event will see comedians like Rajneesh Kapoor, Raghav Mandava, Neeti Palta, Abhijit Ganguly and Sayak Basu perform. They will do 20-minute acts. But not everybody plans on becoming a comedian from the beginning.

Rajneesh Kapoor

Take for instance Raghav Mandava, who left journalism for stand up comedy. "After working for sometime as a journalist I realised that this is not the place for me and that was when I switched to comedy," he says.
Or Neeti Palta who bid her advertising career goodbye. "I have tried several professions but this particular field is very exciting. The feeling of making people laugh is the best part of the job, while the worst feeling is when
audience don't laugh and you end up looking like a moron," she says.

"This profession might not get you family approval straightaway, as people still think of artists as clowns who will do everything just to entertain them," adds Neeti, whose parents were never really supportive, more so because she is a girl. "Families of guys have lesser issues than girls," she rues.

But now even they are finding it exciting and are proud of her. However, while some have supportive parents, a whiff of doubt still lingers. "My parents are supportive, though mom still thinks 'Mera beta joker banega?' And then the society is pretty sarcastic about the work too," says Sayak Basu.

The artiste claims that all this does not bother him. "At the end of the day, what matters is my personal
satisfaction, which I get from making people laugh," he says, proudly.

Practies matters
Everybody is a fan of spontaneity, but practice is what makes you perfect, quite literally. Performing the same thing for years definitely breeds confidence in you but going in front of a crowd is always daunting. States Sayak: "It's good to be nervous. It's been more than a year that I am doing comedy as a full-time occupation and I still feel jittery before going on stage."

They feel that the day one stops getting goosebumps, one becomes something more than a performer.
Agrees Neeti: "Practise is must for you. You can't be spontaneous for 20 minutes. You owe it to the audience to give them good bits and pieces. Though that is a different thing altogether that you never know what might come on stage and you make humour out of it." Life, however, is the funniest reality show, believes Neeti. "And if you are a girl living in Delhi and travel in public transport, then you have a lot to talk about. The way men behave here is more funny than annoying," she adds.

Becoming a crowd star
When you are on stage, viewers' appreciation matters a lot. If the crowd is supportive it makes their work a lot easier. Both Neeti and Sayak agree that Delhiites are increasingly becoming more open-minded about stand-up comedy, still the profession is at a nascent stage in the country. So get off those couches today and plan to laugh your guts out.

At: cafe oz, khan market
Timings: 8 PM onwards
Ring: 41006307
Meal For two: Rs 1,000+ Taxes