JOIN USGotcha Broacha!
His wicked brand of bakra humour had us in splits and initiated us into the world of candid camera prank shows with MTV Bakra way back in 1999. Cyrus Broacha gained cult status in a country where people rarely laugh at themselves. Along with his creative partner Kunal Vijaykar, he’s kept us laughing with his politically witty news spoofs on the television. He was in Bengaluru recently with Kunal Vijaykar to perform Raell Padamsee’s stage production 40 Shades of Grey (Hair), the laugh riot that extends the ideas of Cyrus’s book The Average Indian Male.
Excerpts from an interview:
What’s funny about turning 40?
That was a few years ago, so I’ve kind of wiped that out. What I do tell people, though, and what I notice is that, with every passing week, there are more issues. For a male, when you first see hairfall on your shoulder or on
your pillow, it’s a little scary. It’s a sign of what’s going to happen next. But basically, it’s the organs which are not co-operating.
Why haven’t you guys entered the web space yet?
We have tried, but these young people try to keep us old people out. In fact, there is one thing that the government has to address next budget — set aside money for older comedians like myself to look at a provident fund.
Are you ever serious?
No, if you want serious... my partner Kunal has been kept for that. He is so bloody serious, and boring. Whenever I want to get rid of people in a crowd, I tell him: “Talk to them for five minutes.” Because Kunal will start with, “I believe”, “In my opinion...” or “Let me tell you…” When people start with those points, you know you are in trouble.
You’re never serious?
I don’t know anymore. The lines are blurred. Arnab Goswami has rewritten the book, so we don’t know what’s funny…
Couples fight. But you and Kunal have had an everlasting partnership...
We do fight. But I think I tease him more than fight. I get under his skin a lot. For some reason he’s very touchy. It’s like a practice with the government. He represents the government, he represents any authority figure. A young Donald Trump with a
black head. So we work well together.
What else are you working on?
Well, we are working on our job. I don’t know whether our show is going to stay on the same channel.
Writing or acting it out, what’s more difficult?
Writing is always more fun; you have full control. I like to write alone. But stage acting is more fun because it’s a different feel altogether.
On a scale on 1 to 100, how funny are our politicians?
Well, some of them in their speeches… their rhetoric can be funny. But do I think in real life if they really funny? Do they have a sense of humour? That remains to be seen.
But don’t you think we have kind of gotten used to laughing at ourselves after these new-age stand-up comic acts?
Maybe the younger, Ranveer-Singh generation. Maybe younger politicians also. But the older ones are all sacred cows, if I am allowed to say the word; let’s say bovine instead.
Do your kids (aged 16 and 12) find you funny?
Not at all. They are always correcting me. I mean I’m just a father who’s bowled over and pushed around. There are many of us.