I want to make comedy movies: Naveen Richard

The stand-up comedian was in town for the Under 25 Summit

Naveen Richard started off as a lawyer, and decided to change tracks and become a comedian about 10 years ago. He rose to fame with ‘ThemBoxerShorts’, a YouTube channel that produced sketches. He went on to become a stand-up comedian and his work with ‘Better Life Foundation’ made him a favourite among many.

Metrolife caught up with him, while he was in town for the Under 25 summit, and spoke about his career, Uncle Francis and more:

Where do you draw inspiration from for all your alter egos?

I tend to create characters that just come to me naturally. Uncle Francis, for example, was a mix of fate and talent. I was able to do a certain voice that sounded like a lot of uncles. Then, I came across an old pair of glasses and a moustache and it all just came together. There is another character I do; he is this meek and awkward guy. I was performing in front of a rather unruly crowd, and I decided to try something different to get their attention, and it worked. All these characters have evolved over time, and sometimes you come props that just work great with these personas.

Who, of all these characters you have played, is your favourite?

Uncle Francis is definitely the most popular one. I played a landlady, once, for a sketch, which I enjoyed. My favourite would be Xavier Pandian. His character is such that it allows you to say really outlandish, weird things that your regular self cannot. He makes the audience uncomfortable while making them laugh, which is great.

Comedians are under a lot of scrutiny for everything they say. Do you think that affects your liberty as a comedian?

This was the case when I started comedy ten years ago, and I think we will always be under the scanner. It is all relative. In America, you could get away with speaking out against politics, but not with making jokes about, say feminism. In India, on the other hand, you could probably get away with the latter, but jokes about politics would be harder to get away with.

Do you end up having to filter your content depending on the audience or do you just go with what you want?

I have this joke about surprise birthday parties being thrown, for example. In a smaller town, where if they don’t have a habit of staying up till 12, they won’t relate to it as much. If I am doing a special, I will do whatever I want. But otherwise, I try to make my set more relatable.

Have you ever forgotten a joke on stage?

When I started out, I would literally say, “Oh no, I forgot what comes next,” as if I was in some elocution competition. Now, I make small talk, or skip forward and back. At this point, I have enough material to improvise, if needed.

You started off as part of a collective, ‘Them Boxer Shorts’ and now you perform solo, but still collaborate with other comedians. How different are the two?

When you’re part of a collective, you feel more confident. You can take more risks because you have each other. There is also room to debate an idea. When you are by yourself, it is just internal dialogue. It is harder to decide on things that way, at least for me. On the other hand, with a collective there will always be a lot of differences of opinion. But, along with that conflict, some magic happens.

What are the challenges you face at this stage in your career?

I am someone who wants to do different things. I want to make movies, do stand-up and make music. It’s difficult to focus on one thing at a time. But, to be able to put something of quality, you need to sacrifice other things. The challenge is also to avoid being distracted by all the shiny things and work towards that original goal you had when you started out.

Do you plan to stick with comedy in the future, or do you plan to branch out?

I would like to do comedy, and movies and just keep creating. I want to explore new things. As of now, the goal is to make comedy movies and continue doing stand up.

What projects do you have coming up?

I have a new special coming out on Amazon pretty soon. There is another season of a show I have done that will be coming out in March.

TAKE 4

A weird superpower you wish you had: I wish I could teleport to my bed at the snap of a finger.

Most interesting heckling experience: There was a show I did in Kerala for New Years eve. All the uncles were drunk and they wanted to dance. They started a small riot and asked me to get off the stage. Eventually I had to be taken out for my own safety. I had to spend New Years in my room.

Sweetest fan moment: I had one at the Under25 Summit, actually. I saw a girl holding up this sign that read, "Look at my shirt." She was wearing an Uncle Francis t-shirt. It was really special.

Favourite joke: Brian Regan has a joke about people walking into spiderwebs. He talks about how others who can't see the spiderweb probably think this guy has just gone insane. I really like observational bits like that.