Laughs and Chuckles
25 Oct 2016 7:55 PM GMT
Known as the ‘Salman Khan of the Fat World’ in the comedy circuit, Jeevashu has done over 1500 shows across different genres. He made his film debut with Tamasha and his TV debut with ‘Gangs of Haseepur’.
Abijit Ganguly is one of the faces of the talented comedy culture thriving in India today. He is popularly referred to as the best looking Bengali man after Bappi Lahiri and is known for his anecdotal style of observational comedy.
Excerpts from an interview:
How excited are you to be performing at Hard Rock Cafe - Gurgaon?
Jeeveshu Ahluwalia (JA) and Abijit Ganguly (AG): We’re damn excited about this show. Always wanted to feel like a rockstar and guess this is the closest it will get for us comedians. Now all that is left is Groupies for stand-up too.
How long have you been performing stand-up comedy?
JA: I started doing this on 7th March 2013, the best day of my life.
AG: I started out in 2010, when I was pursuing my Masters degree from Delhi School of Economics. Kept doing it by the side till 2014, when I was a consultant in Deloitte. And I have been doing it full time since 2014.
Where do you get your material? Who is your inspiration?
JA: Life in general is a huge inspiration, so I derive my comedy from anything and everything around me.
AG: I’m forever making observations and small notes about everything happening around. And in a country like ours, there’s always something or the other happening. Also, I’m married, so that gives enough material.
Jaspal Bhatti had a lasting impression on me. It’s brilliant how, stuff he wrote decades back is still relevant today. Among English stand-up comedians, I like Kevin Hart, Jim Jeffries and Louis CK.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
JA: Short, Fair and Cute
AG: Funny, Impulsive, Spontaneous
What happens if the audience doesn’t find your quips funny? How do you deal with hecklers?
JA: I revel in them. Hecklers can make average shows great. Taking down a heckler is one of the greatest satisfaction in the comedy world.
AG: You crack a joke at how bad that joke did. You shift to crowd work. You keep doing something till they do.
What has been your best gig?
JA: The last one, you are only as good or as bad as your last gig.
AG: It is hard to pinpoint at a particular show because mostly all public shows go pretty good. But since college shows are mostly fun, I guess performing for the students at IIIT-Delhi, IIT Roorkee, VIT, Ramjas, etc have been pretty amazing. I also had one of my most fun shows when I was performing for a corporate, Value 360. Super set of people, so it was a great show.
What would you be if you weren’t a comedian? Who is your favourite comedian?
JA: If I wasn’t a comedian, I would have been dead and my favourite comedian is my mum.
AG: I would be one of those vagabond travellers or probably a hermit running a cafe somewhere in Kasol. My favourite comedians are Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Jim Jeffries and Louis CK.
What are you working on right now? Say something funny.
JA: If I tell you that then I would have to kill you!
AG: The famous Joker from Batman comics said ‘if you’re good at something, never do it for free’.
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