The sounds of laughter reverberated throughout the corridor as stand-up comedian Vikas Kush Sharma delivered his punch lines at Novotel hotels and residencies in Kolkata as part of his India tour – Halki Halki Fati. We caught up with the fastest growing comedian who has been breaking numbers on social media and tickling the funny bones, on the sideline of his show.
Excerpts:
How did you find your calling in comedy?
I got into comedy because a group of people had told me that I cannot do comedy. From there the journey to becoming a comedian started. Today, I do crowd work and story stand-up and like to keep it to raw comedy.
Did you ever feel insecure about the field?
I was sure if I give it a try, it will happen. No matter what you do, there will be risks. The worst case will be it won’t work out, but you put in your effort.
Crowd work comprises a major part of your acts. What’s the easiest and challenging part of it?
There is nothing easy about crowd-work. You never know what will someone from the audience say that might make you angry. But you cannot show that anger on stage. Also, everybody is human. You have to handle every situation. Crowd work is very specific. You really want that everyone in the hall is quiet. Also, it is all about connecting. You speak to one person and make thousands of people connect to that person. That is very difficult. Its impromptu comedy.
Have you ever faced a crowd work gone wrong?
Not till now. Once or twice the audience did try to heckle but I can handle that. So, honestly, it’s not about crowd work or jokes, it’s about people liking your personality, that we want this guy on stage. Coming to the answer, when someone tries to heckle, the rest of the audience is so supportive that the situation is managed with good comebacks.
Tell us about your poetry.
I love poetry. In fact I used to perform poetry before coming to comedy and both art forms are very different. But I do perform some lines at the end of the shows and will continue to do so.
How do you think comedy has evolved?
It will evolve more. There is a lot of depression and frustration in people’s lives. They want something that would make them feel better. I have many psychiatrists coming to my show, sometimes even with their patients. It’s a therapy that they enjoy. In stand-up the best part is you only need sound and a microphone. It’s evolving because as a producer there is less expenses compared to say a music concert. And the bigger comedy grows, the more space there will be for comedians. It’s not even very competitive.
How are pan-Indian audiences accepting standup comedy?
Very well! According to comics the most difficult audiences are from Delhi NCR and I feel they are very easy because I have performed there frequently. Kolkata was difficult as per my team but I got a lot of love here and I will be coming back really soon with an auditorium show.
One lesson comedy has taught you.
I have grown as an artiste. I don’t have any comic friends. The issue with this field is if the other person is also into comedy and you outdo them in terms of views but not in live performances, they will not teach you. There’s a lot of insecurity.
Can we see you in OTT / films soon?
If I get good roles, I will go… hopefully soon.
Besides your performances, what else did you love about Kolkata?
This is my third trip to the city but first performance trip. I went to Dakshineshwar Mandir and Kalighat. I love baked rosogolla which I haven’t been able to have till now.
What are you most excited about your Bangalore and Hyderabad legs of the tour?
Every comic has a dream to perform in Bangalore. When the tickets were selling out everywhere we put up some shows in Bangalore and we will also be recording the act. I have heard the best audience for comedy is in Bangalore and Hyderabad. So I have very high hopes because they respect the entertainers a lot. Also, I am going to Hyderabad for the first time in my life. Apart from the show, I will ask my followers to guide me around in the city.
Vikas will perform in Just BLR Comedy Club (Oct 4) and The Underground Comedy Club (Oct 5) in Bangalore and Aaromale- Café and Creative Community (Oct 6) in Hyderabad. Tickets are available online.