Get up to speed with the latest happenings from across India, but in a lighter vein, when stand-up comedy show, Digging The News, premieres tomorrow
“I hope that people don’t get upset but I won’t rule it out,” says Kunal Rao about his new stand-up comedy show, Digging The News, a news-based stand-up comedy show, where comedians such as Sapan Verma, Sahil Shah, Abish Mathew, Neville Shah and Atul Khatri along with Rao will address current affairs in their own unique inimitable styles.
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“News comedy is not new in the country. There are a couple of TV shows based on this genre. We were looking for content that can be put on stage. We approached Charlotte (surname) from the Comedy Store who had a similar idea, so we combined forces,” shares Rao.
“We are doing a pilot this month, and if people like it, we’ll love to do it month after month.u00a0Every month, we will have new jokes and new topics because news keeps changing. It’s great because news is what most people read, so it’s a way of building awareness too, of course with a funny twist,” he adds. The topics that the comedians will focus on for the show will range from politics to sports and international news to business news.
It will be a 90-minute act and will not just include comedians coming and talking on the mic. The show will adopt a couple of interesting ways of presenting news. “We’re doing a panel discussion, a debate and a few other sections that will make the show unique,” avers Rao.
Spare the joke
However, the comedian admitted that the risk of upsetting people in the bargain is always there. “It’s not just news, no matter what joke we crack, we are always at a risk of upsetting people. It’s our job to tell people the real thing in a lighter vein, which people might not be ready to hear but if we say it jokingly it is more likely that they accept it. It’s a natural risk of a comedian, and I won’t be surprised if the show has that problem,” opines the comedian.
Rao is quick to add that they have made sure that the show’s content is not too mean or hurtful. “Our material is not very nasty. We are talking about a couple of new things but people do know what’s happening in the Coalgate scam, people have opinions about Kasab and people know what’s happening in Bollywood and in politics. Essentially, we will give a different take,” he believes.
On: September 25, 8.30 pm
At: The Comedy Store, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel
Call: 43485000
Entry: Rs 300u00a0