Guys who want to tickle your hard-to-find funny bone

Mumbai is set to laugh its head off this week, with 3 stand-up comics dropping in to perform at the Big Laugh Festival. Grab a ticket to find out what it's like to watch a guy joke in English, Punjabi and French?

Mumbaiu00a0is set to laugh its head off this week, with 3 stand-up comics dropping in to perform at the Big Laugh Festival. Grab a ticket to find out what it's like to watch a guy joke in English, Punjabi and French?

What's the hardest part about doing stand-up comedy for Indians in India? According to desi export Papa CJ a former top 10 finalist in the TV show Last Comic Standing it's "getting them to pay for it!" He may soon have to drop that line though, considering the increasing number of high-profile names attracting paying audiences here.

More than the humour, what makes stand-up exciting at least in the hands of a perceptive comic is the point of view being aired. Comics are sardonic observers with the luxury (or guts) to sit on the fence and take notes while the rest of us go about our business. In the hands of someone like Aron Kader, this becomes a powerful weapon. Born to a Palestinian father and Mormon mother, Aron (or Haroun) became the first person to teach a comedy class in the Middle East last year. He also co-founded The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, where Arab-American comedians joke about life for people of Middle Eastern descent in post 9/11 America. So, when he rattles off a fake headline like "Palestinian attacks bullets with body", it's hard not to crack a smile.

Samir Khullar, a.k.a. Sugar Sammy, also uses his Indo-Canadian heritage as a springboard. He jokes not just in English, but also Punjabi, Hindi and French. "Punjabi audiences love it when one of their own recognises them," he says. Happy to be in India "for the first time as an adult," he busts an old clichu00c3u0083u00c2u00a9 about comics being taciturn offstage. "We're just like everybody else," he says, "except for some heightened emotions, perhaps."
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The weirdest thing about desi audiences, according to Papa CJ, is "the same guys who stare at you blankly when you do dirty jokes on stage, will come to you later and tell you how much they loved it. They will then proceed to tell you the filthiest stuff you have ever heard and this normally tends to be the older men in the crowd."

Weird audiences notwithstanding, stand-up comedy deserves a wider audience, which is why these three guys are so welcome. We ask Sammy how his parents react to his choice of career. "They think I'm a doctor," he laughs. And we can't tell if he's joking.

The Big Laugh Festival featuring Sugar Sammy, Aron Kader and Papa CJ. On September 10 and 11, 8.30 pm, Shanmukhananda Auditorium. Tickets: Rs 1,750, Rs 1,500, Rs 1,250, Rs 1,000, Rs 500, Rs 350. Call: 24078888

The other comedy act this week
Quill Potter's Comedy Circuit brings the Al Pitcher show that's won prizes at comedy fests in Sydney and Leicester this year. He wanders the streets of the city he is performing in, and photographs what catches his fancy to use as inspiration.

The Big Laugh Festival featuringu00a0 Aron Kader and Papa CJ.
On September 12, 8.30 pm, Jyothi Nivas Auditorium.
Tickets: Rs 1,500, Rs 1,250, Rs 1,000, Rs 500.
For tickets, log on to: www.bookmyshow.com or call 09820354222.

The other comedy acts this week

Al in action
The Al Pitcher show that's won prizes at comedy fests in Sydney and Leicester this year is where you should head to this Sunday. A Kiwi comedian, he wanders the streets of the city he is performing in, and photographs what catches his fancy to use as inspiration. Al says his mind is constantly twisting, flipping and distorting what he sees.
At:u00a0 Taj Gateway Hotel, Residency Road.
On: September 13 at 7.30 pm.
Call: 6660 4545

The funny Indian
Rajiv Satyal called by many as The Funny Indian does a stand-up act for the first time in India. A small, bespectacled Punjabi from Ohio whose witty, universal, and TV-clean act resonates with Middle America by covering everything from racial issues to his favourite topic u00e2u0080u0093 himself. He also explains how Indians were not involved in 9-11 u00e2u0080u0093 just 7-11.
At: Opus, (Palace Cross Road)
On: September 11, 9 pm onwards