FROM BEING THE finalist in the Indian Comedy Festival in 2012 to performing around the globe, Naveen Richard has come a long way. The comedian who is known for his family-friendly jokes is back again in Bengaluru for a special show.
The last time Naveen was in Bengaluru, it was for two trial shows. This time, he hopes to put up a thoroughly entertaining performance for his fans with his brand of clean humour.
When asked about how comedy helped people during the pandemic, Naveen says that comedy is a source of escapism. “As they say,‘laughter is the best medicine’, but you should not have a lot of the same medicine.” He makes sure that his themes are not dark but light-hearted as he feels that people should be able to forget about the problems of this world, even if it is for a short period.
While it’s common knowledge that he is sometimes referred to as the Indian Mr Bean, Naveen is still a bit puzzled by it. “Since my sets are family-friendly, there are always a lot of kids in my shows. And they all think I look like Mr Bean, though I’ve never done anything remotely close to what one can expect from the legendary character.”
When he started off his career in standup, the comedian had a lot of inspirations but he did not necessarily hold on to them. His current favourite comedians include Brian Regan, whose style of comedy he relates to the most.
Recalling his first ever experience on stage, Naveen shares that it turned out to be a memorable one. “My first standup show in public was in Bengaluru and it had a huge audience. Usually, you start off with an audience of 5 or 10 people and then you work your way up to the 100s. My first show had 200-300 seats,” reveals Naveen, who will be touring the rest of the country after his show in Bengaluru.