Amit Tandon, the comic, is an international name. With guffaws, chuckles and grins galore greeting his performances on stage, he trots all across the globe with a passport fatter than a rhino. Yet, having clocked over 1,200 shows, he has still more masala and madness to make you dissolve into laughter in an instant.
“My parents chose such a common name for me,” he starts off as we settle into a leisurely chat. “I have many namesakes. People often mistake me for Amit Tandon, the actor. As luck would have it, this gentleman moved into the same house we were staying at earlier. Hence the confusion persists. I even got calls when his wife was jailed in Dubai last year,” says Amit with a straight face, in his bid to explain why his website URL reads tandonamit.com to distinguish him from others with the same name.
Straight from the heart
That is why Amit Tandon is popular: for his clean humour which attracts families for friendly comical evenings. “I am lucky to be an Indian comic,” he says , “as the market is tremendous across the world, from Ghana to Columbia to Europe to even the small Caribbean island of Saint Martin that has only 50,000 residents. I was surprised to receive a query from that tiny part of the world I never knew existed,” he enthuses with a broad smile. “I think what appeals to people is that I centre my shows around my experiences as an average 44-year-old, middle class man, trying to take care of his family including two teenage kids, with hormones constantly raging through the house.” Does he annoy his children with vintage dad jokes? “I do,” he smiles broadly. “It is good to irritate your kids once in a while. But seriously, the anthem I follow is “Listen, pray, communicate.”
His writing makes him clock hours deep into the night as he first puts down his challenges, situations experiences and observations, only to lace them with humour towards the last draft. Amit works in solitude, sometimes at home, and on other occasions at Soho House in suburban Mumbai, close to his home where the contained din of the city are a background blur. “I have just wrapped up the entire production of NetFlix Solo next month, titled Family Tandoncies. Obviously it is a hilarious piece of work, which exacted its pound of flesh in terms of work hours from me. This weaned me off writing for a few days but I am back to my work now and am looking forward to its release in December,” says Amit.
Blending in
The Delhi guy who completed his MBA from IIT Delhi, has taken to Mumbai like fish to water, revelling in the cosmopolitan mix the city brings with its fabric. “Recently I did a show for those afflicted with multiple sclerosis, and their families. It was a rather humbling experience for me when one girl in particular, mirrored her happiness and joy in her eyes, but was unable to move her hand to shake hands with me. I feel humbled, overwhelmed, that I am able to bring laughter and joy to so many lives,” shares Amit. What about the brickbats? “Those I eat enough with trolls running me down all the time, in the online space,” he laughs
As of now Amit is working on a piece centred around the Partition of the country into India and Pakistan in 1947 as well as a series on the original funny man, Jaspal Bhatti. “This has been on my mind for a long time and I am finally getting around to doing it,” he says. What pearls of widsom does he have to offer to those who aspire to be in his shoes? “Work hard. Mine is not an overnight success. In 2015 I did release my first video, but had been working on my comic vein for six years prior. At IIT Delhi, I worked on my portfolio of on-stage performances and acts, working consistently. It is my firm belief that you should never ape anyone else. Originality works best. Do what is unique to you and your life because the more honest you are, the more people will connect with you. And yes, it all starts with the ability of being able to laugh at your own self.” It’s his ‘Tandoncie’.