The lockdown has been a blessing in disguise for Bhargav Ramakrishnan aka Baggy who released his Amazon Special ‘Kung Fu Bonda’ recently. A hilarious show that talks about growing older, the changes it brings and coming in terms with it is the theme of his special. He shares anecdotes of his observations on adulting, parents, marriage and sex.
Talking to Metrolife, Baggy says, “I wrote the show in 2017, when I turned 30. I realised that I have a lot of responsibilities and expectations in life now.”
Sharing his own adulthood experiences, he says that he likes the independence that comes with it but “what I like the least is the fact that you are the only one to blame”.
The beginning
Baggy was working with an arts management company in Chennai, back in 2010, where he worked as an employee, director and producer. He was introduced to the world of standup comedy in 2011 as a producer, manager and director.
In 2014, he realised something. “I help a bunch of comedians write their material and I am a performer (a theatre actor) and I love being on stage. So why not experience it myself and start doing comedy?” There was no turning back since then.
Growing with comedy
He believes that his approach to comedy is still evolving. However, he knows that his writing process requires discipline, focus and concentration.
He says, “I can sit in front of the laptop and stare at an empty screen for hours till I get an idea. That’s my writing process.” In fact, for the Amazon Special, he had less than two-and-half months to put the content together.
“I used to carry my laptop everywhere to make notes when I observed something or something funny happened in my life,” he adds.
The comic is also open to learning from his experiences. He explains, “I have definitely learnt what my strengths are. I know what I do well and I have started discovering what I like to do and what kind of jokes I like to say. But I’m still figuring out how to bridge the gap. I’m too new to this industry and I believe I have a lot to learn.”
The multi-lingual artist
Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Baggy uses the language in his sets. “I think in English because it’s my primary language and Tamil is my mother tongue. I enjoy using Tamil in my sets but I don’t do it too much because I know there are people in the audience who wouldn’t understand,” he says.
For ‘Kung Fu Bonda’, he didn’t use Tamil much as he knew it would be a show watched across the world. He adds, “I can’t remove Tamil from the show because I can’t remove Tamil from me. That’s where my roots are. And especially in standup comedy, which is such an individually driven art form, you cannot not be yourself, right?”
Future plans
Baggy owns a management company called Half Boiled Inc with another popular comedian named Aravind SA. He’s been using the lockdown period to write a lot, which he plans to use to make videos and share with his audience.
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