×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

For a dose of laughter

Last Updated 29 July 2012, 13:10 IST

Bangalore has always been popular for its well-established pub culture and independent music scene. Now, the youngsters of the City have another reason to celebrate — the City has been recognised as a growing hub for stand-up comedy in India.


Bangalore seems to be quite a good nurturing ground for amateur comedians, who are looking for credibility and recognition. It has seen the likes of Vir Das, Sorabh Pant, Aditi Mittal, Rohan Joshi, Raghav Mandava, Rajneesh Kapoor and other big names of the Indian stand-up comedy community perform at various pubs, comedy festivals and wherever else and people willing to show up for a good laugh.


 “Bangalore audiences are possibly the smartest in the country. They’re up to date with current affairs and get the smarter stuff very easily,” says Tanmay Bhat, from The Comedy Store, Mumbai.

Though Bhat usually gets a good response in this City, he feels that the overall scene is still at its infancy. “Very few comedians are stepping up and taking the stage in Bangalore. And other than Praveen Kumar, Sundeep Rao and Sanjay Manaktala, I haven’t heard about any Bangalore comedians doing too well outside the City. But that will change,” he adds, with a sense of genuine conviction.


A majority of the audience who attend these comedy gigs are youngsters, specifically the corporate crowd who are ready to shell out some cash for an evening of entertainment. Despite what demographics suggest, the comedians are always ready to amuse any kind of audience.


 “As a comedian, it’s your job to make anyone and everyone who walks into the room laugh at your jokes. I’ve performed in front of IT crowd, page 3 folks, businessmen and engineering students here,” says Papa C J, a Delhi-based comedian who performed in the City recently. “The trick is to keep modifying your act based on the audience feedback that you get almost every 20 seconds!”  


Bangalore itself has definitely started playing a host to comedy as a genre of entertainment. Last month, the City hosted a two-day festival of comedians called ‘Losers Nightout’, which acted as a platform for 16 different comedians from across the country.

 “The scene is definitely a lot better than what it was last year. But the problem still lies with the number of shows that one gets to put their act out there,” says Sundeep Rao, one of Bangalore’s most renowned stand-up comedians.


“There is no comedy club yet but places like ‘Bacchus’, ‘BFlat’, ‘Urban Solace’ and ‘I-Bar’ are great places to get into the amateur circuit,” he adds, as a word of advice to all the aspiring comedians out there.


So the next time you hear about a stand-up comedy show happening in town, lend your ears for an hour or two for some rib-tickling humour and see what all the fuss is about for yourself!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 29 July 2012, 13:10 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT