I think most people around the world use an internal comedy monologue to deal with the problems in their lives. As long as you are a keen observer of things and people and are highly opinionated you can be a stand up comic, The craft and skill is something that takes years or even decades to develop though.
I refrain from calling comedy my 'career' as I still have a full time "day job", but I decided to venture into stand up around 2012 when I had recently quit my dental studies and was binge watching a lot of American & British sitcoms.
When I started reading and researching about the writers for these shows I found out many of them were also stand-up comics, so next thing I know I am down the YouTube rabbit hole of stand up clips and I got extremely interested.
Luckily at this point the Comedy Store had recently opened up in Mumbai and I also got a break writing humour columns in the now defunct but then very popular youth magazine J.A.M. So it was a confluence of all these things.
2. What type of content do you enjoy producing the most and is the most challenging?
I love writing and performing material that comes from my life and is very personal. I think honesty is the most important aspect of comedy. So, I pretty much treat the stage as the place where I can think out loud and put forth ideas and opinions that I can't otherwise because of societal, or family or political pressures, I also love watching and developing material that breaks stereotypes.
2. What type of content do you enjoy producing the most and is the most challenging?
I love writing and performing material that comes from my life and is very personal. I think honesty is the most important aspect of comedy. So, I pretty much treat the stage as the place where I can think out loud and put forth ideas and opinions that I can't otherwise because of societal, or family or political pressures, I also love watching and developing material that breaks stereotypes.
The Indian comedy scene is still very nascent and primarily one kind of narrative is very dominant, that of the 20 something or 30 something urban male. So, any narrative that gives me a new perspective away from this catches my attention.
3. Do you prefer digital as a medium or do you enjoy doing live gigs more and why?
The short answer to that is live gigs because honestly, nothing beats the atmosphere of a live crowd and being in the moment, forming a bond with an artist, or conversely if you don't like the comedian then simply experiencing the awkwardness of the silence.
3. Do you prefer digital as a medium or do you enjoy doing live gigs more and why?
The short answer to that is live gigs because honestly, nothing beats the atmosphere of a live crowd and being in the moment, forming a bond with an artist, or conversely if you don't like the comedian then simply experiencing the awkwardness of the silence.
But, given the COVID-19 pandemic this year all comedy gigs shifted online for a good 7-8 months so we got to experience the online experience as well, and in my opinion they have their pros and cons, pros being you'll reach more people with the click of a button, the performance space is your room so there's a level of comfort and said audience might try and seek out your earlier work, but the cons are that an online live show audience will never take you as seriously as a live audience.
In a digital show you're just one of the gazillion tabs on their smart phone or laptop, and they're bound to get distracted. That said the online audience in India is growing at an astronomical rate so ideally a comic should have one foot in the digital sphere too.
4. People, who are interested in taking up stand-up comedy as a profession, do they need a funny bone or they can develop one?
I think most people around the world use an internal comedy monologue to deal with the problems in their lives. As long as you are a keen observer of things and people and are highly opinionated you can be a stand up comic, The craft and skill is something that takes years or even decades to develop though.
4. People, who are interested in taking up stand-up comedy as a profession, do they need a funny bone or they can develop one?
I think most people around the world use an internal comedy monologue to deal with the problems in their lives. As long as you are a keen observer of things and people and are highly opinionated you can be a stand up comic, The craft and skill is something that takes years or even decades to develop though.
So, can anyone with a funny bone become a stand up comic? Not necessarily, but can a person with a funny bone develop the skill to be a stand up comic provided they're dedicated to the craft? Yes.
5. How stable is being a stand-up comedian as a profession in India? And what is the future of this profession?
As stable as a ship during stormy seas which is to say, barely. As I mentioned before, the stand up scene is still nascent in India so it's a tough predicament to eke out a living purely out of doing live shows.
5. How stable is being a stand-up comedian as a profession in India? And what is the future of this profession?
As stable as a ship during stormy seas which is to say, barely. As I mentioned before, the stand up scene is still nascent in India so it's a tough predicament to eke out a living purely out of doing live shows.
You will have to network a bit to get some corporate shows, do some writing on the side, or go the YouTube/ Instagram influencer route by making interesting content so that brands come your way. I wish I had a crystal ball to tell you the future of this profession (and also the next pandemic so that I can stock up on the groceries).
6. What impact do you want to make in this world?
Wow, that is SUCH a loaded question and I feel like giving a Miss India type answer here. I'll keep it simple - if I make even one person briefly forget about their problems and laugh for a few seconds, that would've been enough of an impact (Dammit, that totally sounds like a Miss India answer).
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
Ok, I will cheat and name one fiction book and one non-fiction book.
My favourite fiction book is JRR Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' because it's pure escapism and walks a sweet line between being a children's fairy-tale and high concept epic fantasy. Both of which I love. It has adventure, magic, honesty, and flowery language all rolled into one.
My favourite non-fiction book is Suketu Mehta's 'Maximum City', it's a book that lays bare the absolute joy and horror that the city of Mumbai is, and ultimately tells us about the humanity and cruelty of the people that make it tck.
6. What impact do you want to make in this world?
Wow, that is SUCH a loaded question and I feel like giving a Miss India type answer here. I'll keep it simple - if I make even one person briefly forget about their problems and laugh for a few seconds, that would've been enough of an impact (Dammit, that totally sounds like a Miss India answer).
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
Ok, I will cheat and name one fiction book and one non-fiction book.
My favourite fiction book is JRR Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' because it's pure escapism and walks a sweet line between being a children's fairy-tale and high concept epic fantasy. Both of which I love. It has adventure, magic, honesty, and flowery language all rolled into one.
My favourite non-fiction book is Suketu Mehta's 'Maximum City', it's a book that lays bare the absolute joy and horror that the city of Mumbai is, and ultimately tells us about the humanity and cruelty of the people that make it tck.
- Abbas Momin
Instagram @abbasmomin88
- Interviewed by - Nishad Kinhikar
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