With a distinct style of holding the mic, a straight face and a whole lot of satirical jokes, Kunal Kamra has emerged as one of the leading poster boys of the Indian stand-up comedy circuit. The Delhi-based artiste comes to Bengaluru with his latest show, Fresher Thoughts by Kunal Kamra Exclusive Tour.
He performs a 70-minute set that he says is, “a mix of things that have happened to me in the last one year and a bunch of political content.” He further adds, “I will be covering topics such as the general elections, my experience of going out and campaigning for a student leader (Kanhaiya Kumar) and my travels. So, most of the content falls under the ‘slice of life’ theme but with a political bent.”
Although the material is new, fans of Kunal are familiar with some favourite characters who he chooses to retain in this show, though with a new twist. He says, “There are two old Indian uncle characters and there’s also a particular news anchor who will feature in the show. But it will not have anything that’s similar to what audiences would have seen from me before,” he says.
As an artiste, Kunal has been unabashedly honest and critical of the political and social developments in India. His acerbic content strikes a chord with a few and doesn’t with others. So Kunal has an equal number of fans and trolls. However, neither of this affects the artiste in him. “Most people who have a sense of power may not be open to criticism but till the time we are a democracy, there will be criticism. However, there is no malice in what I am doing, and it is not motivated by anyone, so there is no reason for me to be scared.”
Rs 799 upwards. August 17, 6.30 pm. At Good Shepherd Auditorium
ayeshatabassum@ newindianexpress.com @aishatax