Standup comedy, as a trend, has caught on. Not only do youngsters have a blast attending standup comedy gigs, they are now hosting informal laughathon sessions at their homes too. They either organise get-togethers in their pads, or head to their friends’ houses, and watch videos of popular standup comedians.
Says techie Viswanathan N., “My introduction to standup comedy happened when a friend came across Jeff Dunham on YouTube. After that, we got videos of all of his gigs and had a blast watching them. Imitating him comes next. He has some classic expressions, that he is famous for — ‘Silence!’ and ‘I’ll keeeeeeeeeel you’ are our favourites.”
“My friends and I meet over the weekends, have a round of beers and get into action. We watch everyone from Russell Peter and Jeff and Chris Rock. Jeff’s ‘Peanut doll’ is a laugh riot. If you’ve had a bad day at work, there’s nothing like laughing your guts out at Chris Rock. George Carlin is also awesome. His humour is original, and meaningful. He talks about everything from god to global warming in a fun way,” says communication professional Gokul M.
It’s not just international comedians who touch a chord, but Indian ones too. Says actor Satish Chandra, “I like desi comedians like Raju Srivastav and ‘VIP’ (Comedy Circus). I can relate to them easily.”
Standup comedian Sorabh Pant, says. “Glad to know that comedians are the new stars for today’s youngsters. And I must say that comedians are so much more easier to impersonate.”