Stand-up comedy often starts with instinct — an ability to spot humour in everyday moments. For Tushar Basra, that instinct slowly evolved from making friends laugh into building a voice on stage. With his solo show Bali Ka Basra, he brings together fresh material, personal observations and a storytelling style that feels easy, honest and deeply relatable. Ahead of his performance in Hyderabad, Tushar talks about his journey, creative process and what the audiences can expect from the show.
How did your journey into stand-up comedy begin?
I’ve always enjoyed making people around me laugh. For a long time, I didn’t imagine this could turn into something professional. I was involved in theatre, music and poetry, but I didn’t know much about stand-up. I used to watch a lot of artistes — Abhishek Upmanyu, Zakir Khan, Vipul Goyal, Kenny Sebastian — and somewhere deep down, it clicked that I could do this too. When I discovered open mics and started performing regularly, things slowly began to feel more real.
What does your joke-writing process look like?
It starts with a thought, which could come from a fresh observation, a past experience, a personal story or even something completely fictional. The only constant is that it needs to feel funny enough for me to write it down. From there, it’s all about crafting — testing it at open mics, listening to recordings, rewriting and restructuring until it becomes something solid.
What’s the story behind the show’s title?
Honestly, it has nothing to do with the content of the show. I just wanted my last name to be part of my solo’s title and was casually playing around with ideas. The moment Bali Ka Basra came up, it instantly clicked.
How is this show different from your earlier work?
This show is made up of multiple bits with premises that genuinely intrigued me and pushed me to explore them deeper. There’s no overlap with the sets I’ve put out online so far. That said, the flavour of my comedy remains the same — it’s still my voice and perspective, told in a typical Delhi boy style.
Why do you think everyday themes work so well in comedy?
I never consciously try to create something just to appeal to the masses or chase views. The starting point is always something that genuinely makes me laugh. From there, I try to make it sharper and structure it in a way that’s relatable and engaging.
What should first-time viewers expect from the show?
If people walk away having genuinely had a good time and feeling lighter at heart, that’s more than enough for me. And if they ever remember a joke from the show during a low moment and it makes them smile, that’s a win.