“Stand-up comedy is one of the purest forms of performance art,” says Saikiran Rayaprolu, a 35-year-old Hyderabadi, who has been a stand-up comedian ever since he won an open mic contest in 2014. When we ask him why he thinks so, he says, “One person goes up on stage, faces a room full of audience and has to make a bunch of strangers laugh – no instruments, no props.” Saikiran, former research consultant, ill perform with Rajshekar Mamidanna, the founder of Funny Side Up (FSU), one of the first stand-up comedy groups in the city. They will be performing at Heart Cup Coffee, Jubilee Hills on Saturday.
Rajshekar, the anna of Hyderabad comedy, feels the reason that keeps him going as a comedian is the “kick” he gets from people laughing at his jokes. This MBA-turned stand-up comedian has performed 200 shows across the country over the last four years and has also been featured in NDTV’s Rising Stars of Comedy. The duo first shared the stage when Saikiran began his profession as a stand-up comedian in 2015.
While both agree that the city’s crowd enjoys relatable and observational humour, Rajshekar boasts that their content for the upcoming show, The Bloopers, will make everyone in the audience laugh.
Here are excerpts from an email interview with Saikiran:
What kind of preparation goes in for a show?
I don’t prepare as such. It’s very spontaneous. In fact, every show is a preparation for my next show. It gets better with time.
What can we expect from your upcoming show?
The repertoire of jokes, as far as I am concerned, will revolve around things that annoy me. Don’t ask me what they are before the show. (laughs)
Have you ever been in trouble because of something you said on your show?
I have a funny incident to share. Once, a drunkard interrupted my show because he was offended that I made fun of my own name.
Has the stand-up comedy scene evolved in the country?
Stand-up comedy in India has had a meteoric growth since it began in 2007-08 to now. Especially the last two-three years have been phenomenal. It can’t be compared to the American or British comedy because they started way before we did. However, it looks promising.
At Heart Cup Coffee, Road
number 45, Jubilee Hills.
From 7 pm onwards.
Details: in.bookmyshow.com