Spontaneous wit evokes laughter

Original Lines

The quirky sense of humour and the witty lines of Anuvab Pal, who presented the one-man show, ‘The Nation Wants to Know’ at the Humming Tree recently, wooed the audience completely.

Taking a jibe at the Indian media, he presented a mini-version of the television debates showcasing the rising decibel levels of the anchor as well as the panelists and the anchor wanting to hog the limelight all the time.

The audience could be seen enjoying his sense of humour as Anuvab tried to retain their attention by keeping the show interactive. His spontaneous jokes added a lot of variety to the act.

What also stood out was the research he had done on the topic.

He not only picked up the style in which these debates are conducted but also presented the opinion of the viewers.

Apart from debates, he joked on various other topics too.

Tarunima, who attended the show along with her group of friends, was impressed with the comedian.

“He has a very fresh approach to things. I have attended many stand-up comedies in the City and sometimes, the subjects that the comedians choose become very monotonous. His attempt to concentrate only on one topic and bring in different facets of a newsroom or a television debate worked with the audience. We all have witnessed at least one such debate and hence, we could connect with it,” she noted.

Many others felt that he never ran out of ideas and did not try too hard to make the audience laugh.

“The best part about this act was that it was very spontaneous. He did not try to mix and match different concepts and most of the one-liners and jokes were innovated on the spot. He was a complete natural and that worked in his favour. Also, I feel that he is very confident and knows how to create an ambience and that comes only with experience,” said Swati Anand, who was there at the show with her family.

The packed hall could be seen applauding the comedian every now and then and request for more jokes were heard often during the show.