For some plain talking

Stand-up comedians Anuvab Pal and Kunaal Roy Kapur had a hall full of people in splits of laughter during their performance in the City last weekend.

Enjoying the evening over unlimited glasses of all sorts of beverages and shorteats, people were treated to a range of diverse topics – from British India to some of the absurdities of modern India. Anuvab, who came in the second half, spoke about things that influenced his thought process and intellect in the 1980s and Kunaal spoke about how traditional Indian mannerisms have given way to new forms.

The two men, with great command over the language, did exceptionally well to entertain and enlighten people for a good two hours. The stand-up comedy titled, ‘Nothing like Anything’, is the tagline for a popular cellphone advertisement. “I wonder what they are really selling and who they’re targeting. The advertisement for a popular biscuit has actor Hrithik Roshan doing things that he shouldn’t be doing with a model over a biscuit…And further an advertisement featured a gorilla marketing a lollypop beckoning the kids saying, Aao bache mere lolly chooso….” said Kunaal, who wondered why people don’t think twice before they zero in on an advertisement tagline. Further, he recalled a class that his mother took for kids during summer time which had a popular song, ‘I wanna make you sweat’. “My mother thought that the song was something to do with summer time and the sun but the wordings weren’t even remotely related to summer time,” he added.

The second half had Anuvab narrate his experience on an Air India flight, where it is difficult to distinguish whether the air hostesses on board were women or men. He then spoke about how most Bengalis are mocked across the country. How Anglo-Indians are associated with music and how north Indians and chilli chicken are inseparable.

Anuvab took a dig at the fashion industry where a young Indian designer was heard saying, during a television interview, “I am launching my new collection this Fall and I am looking forward to the Fall.” Anuvab observes, “We don’t have Fall in India, so what is she talking about? And there is another designer who said his latest lingerie collection is inspired by the freedom struggle. These things are absurd.”

Anuvab further says that most builders who advertise, float tall taglines. “There was this one hoarding I saw on my way from the airport which read, ‘Live here for infinity and beyond’ and your beyond is where — just after Hosur Road. Similarly, another builder’s tagline was ‘Houses where dreams are beyond your reach’. How can people sell you something so unrealistic?” he wonders.

There was no doubt that those in the audience loved every bit of the evening. Samrat Dasgupta says, “Anuvab is a dear friend and a lot of things that the two comedians spoke about is what we encounter in our lives almost everyday.” Anitha Desai, a socialite, says, “It not only takes a lot of talent but immense guts to be able to stand up there and talk so raw.”