Cyrus Broacha is somebody the millennial generation loves for his quirky humour and hilarious insight into the most mundane things of everyday life. We caught up with the TV personality and comedian during his short visit to Hyderabad at the Taj Krishna, where he made guests laugh their hearts out.
On his journey thus far, he begins by saying he was to retire from comedy but because of the pandemic, the government asked him to hold on for a little! “It all started off after a failed legal career. When I started off with MTV, I was studying law, I was working with advertisements and also doing plays for fun. It was an easy life. Little did I know that I would soon have to leave it all to pursue this. They sent me to shoot at Shillong and Assam, and in the process, I had to miss the exam. But, I still got the seat because in Mumbai, there’s something called jugaad (laughs). In Indian families, you’re either a lawyer, doctor, engineer or a failure. I chose to be a failure (laughs).”
While some would say comedy has changed over the years, Cyrus thinks differently. “I think it has only become more apparent now. Earlier, we found comedians only in the movies. They were called derisive words like ‘joker’. Most could not work outside films, but today, comedy has grown beyond screens and has come to stages amid a live audience, giving comics the long-deserved respect,” he says.
Apart from his own shows, Cyrus was also seen in the recent series about cryptocurrency called Coinswitch Kuber. “This is basically a paid promotion, I’m trying to explain what it is because I don’t understand what it is myself (laughs).”
More than anything, Cyrus believes in laughing at himself first and says that the pandemic has made it harder to do that. He says, “There is a lot of introspection that has happened recently, for the obvious reason that people have been living by themselves. But this self-love at 48, 56 and 39 is a scary thing. People suddenly find that they have got no self-confidence, self-love or self-esteem because they are just rushing. I am really a petty person and my problems are always going to remain the same. Here in India, very few of us live by ourselves; we are fortunate that we have people around us.”
The past year wasn’t the easiest time for people of his profession. Speaking for Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra, he says, “Only the two of them were outspoken, the rest have been careful about their jokes (laughs). How good or bad they’re doing for themselves means nothing to me. Kunal and I worked together, and I met Munawar during a podcast. To be honest, the government never reacts to these but is their ‘chamchas’ who get offended. There is so much regulation everywhere — especially on social media. Anyone is free until they talk about religion or historical figures. It is sad that Munawar had to go through this. India has bigger issues to worry about, these controversies don’t make any sense to me.”
Meanwhile, Cyrus plans to get more consistent with his podcast. He is also awaiting the release of Penthouse. “It is the Hindi version of the popular film Loft by Netflix. Once it’s out, I’ll become a superstar,” he laughs.
Before he signs off, we asked him who he’d love to interview. “I’d love to have a conversation with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan; not because of their star status, but because they are fun to talk to,” he says.
Cyrus believes in laughing at himself first and says that the pandemic has made it harder to do that