Two minutes into a telephonic conversation and his free-flowing humour made us laugh a dozen times already. That’s stand-up comedian Aravind Sa for you. A familiar name in the South Indian comedy scene, Aravind’s striking accent and effortless body language makes him an exceptional comedian. “My accent and tone make me who I am. As long as it’s an extension of your natural personality, the audience will accept it,” says the Chennai-based comedian, who will be back in the city for the second time with his show, I Was Not Ready Da. This time around, you’ll see Aravind sharing a lot of personal stories from his journey as a comedian. “When I first started off, I didn’t expect to be who I am today with a show on Amazon and a tour across the globe. I was not ready for it and that’s all about the show,” he explains, adding that he has created and workshopped the content for the whole of 2016, while he was travelling for his previous show, Madrasi Da.
For a person who pulls off his show with energy and aplomb, it’s surprising to hear Aravind say he’s nervous before every single show. “Initially, I had quite a few bad shows, thanks to stage fright. It would take all of me to be on stage and talk. Mentally, I would be hoping to vanish. Thankfully, stand-up comedy wasn’t as popular back then so people didn’t take notice,” he laughs. Over the years, he’s managed to find a trick that helps him ignore his stage fright. “Script is the trick. I do my routines properly, word by word the whole day. And, of course, experience helps you grow too,” he adds.
Having started about five years ago, Aravind has certainly carved a niche for himself. His tryst with comedy, however, was unplanned. A post-graduate in filmmaking from LV Prasad Film Institute, he first began his career as an assistant director (AD), where he worked for Ajith-starring Arrambam and Siddharth’s 180. “Two movies as an AD will tell you that you either continue to do the tiresome job or choose another field. By then, I had been dabbling with stand-up comedy in the side and it made my dull life colourful. So I chose to take it up,” he shares. Since then, there has been no looking back for Aravind, who agrees that he has found his calling, but is yet to take it to the big screen.
Ticket: Rs.475. At Bhaskara Auditorium.
On April 1, 6.30 pm onwards.