Shamik Chakrabarti brings narrative twist to deadpan comedy with new show in Hyderabad

Some comedy shows come with performances that are animated and over the top, while others delve into the subtleties of life. Accounting for the rise of stand-up in India, you would think every type of humour that lies on this spectrum is explored. Known for his deadpan comedy, Shamik Chakrabarti’s new show, Despite Appearances, steps into a format he’s never attempted before: a full-length narrative that runs from start to finish. “It’s the first time I’m doing a show that has a story in it,” Shamik explains. “I deviate from it often, do a lot of other jokes, and then come back to it.”

From subtle punchlines to a full narrative arc, the comedian explores new dimensions of performance

Shamik is excited to perform in the city and says, “Hyderabad has been great to me over the years. Live stand-up is a live medium. It was one of the first cities where people came out to watch my show. Long may it continue.”

For him, writing is not a ritualistic, rehearsed practice, but driven by the idea coming to him. “I can’t stare at a blank page and write a joke. It has to come from something I genuinely want to talk about,” he says. Structuring his set is a matter of grouping and connecting. “You get little jokes, then you find segues and jokes that belong together.

They form chunks. With this show, it’s reversed—the story arc runs from beginning to end, and everything else fits into it,” he explains.

Like many comics, performance wasn’t natural to him at first. “I’m not particularly keen on public speaking. I started as someone who just wanted to tell the jokes I’d written. But performance is just as important, if not more,” he admits. Over time, he’s developed a grounded persona on stage. “Earlier, it may have felt like someone reciting mugged-up jokes. Now, if someone watches me, I hope they see a three-dimensional person. The emotions sound real because I’ve become more comfortable on stage,” he adds. His deadpan style, however, remains.

On the evolving audiences of India, Shamik says, “They’ve been exposed to more styles of comedy. For example, I do the subtle kind, and people have said that they are catching on to the subtleties. I don’t move a lot, or shout on stage, but it’s still comedy and in a way, even if I add other elements to my set, it’s nice to know that people get what I’m doing.”

He believes comedy can be both socially aware and unrestricted but within reason. “It shouldn’t be free of moral expectations entirely — it’s hard to achieve that. Some jokes with close friends are harder to crack in public. We all have filters,” he says. But he stresses variety above everything else and elaborates, “Comedy is a great space to speak truth to power, and it must continue to be that. But people do it differently—some are more on the nose, some subtle. But if everyone sounds the same, it stops being fun.”

Tickets start at Rs 699.

December 7, 7 pm.

At KLN Prasad Auditorium — FTCCI, Lakdikapul.

Email: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

X: @indulgexpress

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