Kenny for your thoughts: 'I think you should do comedy for the right reason, which is just to do comedy'

Black Dog Easy Evenings is a property that has been going on for many years and I have been part of many of them. To be honest, this one has been the most enjoyable and I think the production and the quality of the entire event has been growing steadily with every rendition. We had four shows, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Gurugram. It's a great experience for an artist and at the same time, it's really nice for the audience as they get ample food and snacks and drinks before the show that sets them in the right mood. It genuinely creates a nice easy evening for everybody involved.

I think the best part about being in this profession is I get to travel a lot and meet a lot of people. So, I think, just slowing down and kind of looking around and taking in the moment. Sometimes, you know, especially with this tour we did in four cities, it's kind of easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle and the execution of the show. Then I stop and think, I get to go to these four cities, and I love these cities. So, I make sure to eat the food, meet the locals, talk to audiences, and forget that it's work or a show or a program, focusing on the fact that it's a new place and it's a new day and new people. And that's what I like, to literally take a pause and reflect on how great this is, this whole situation.

Comedy happened very accidentally. I was initially pursuing film because of which I got into theater and I was also dabbling in music. As I was doing theatre and film, I discovered that I have a very humorous and funny side. My friends and the audience used to say, “You should do more comedy.” I took part in a stand-up comedy competition when I was about 18 and won first place and it just felt like everything fit into place after that first day. So, I've been doing comedy ever since. To this day, more than a profession, I can't believe I get to do this for a living.

I don't have any inspiration as such. I’ve seen a lot of comedy talents growing up. Seinfeld is a comedian that I was very affected by, I thought he was wonderful. But I really like humor that's for the entire family, for all ages, and for a wide range of people. I really enjoy it when I can make anybody in the room laugh. So for me, I love absurdity and silly humor. I think sometimes some comics go into the very serious political or philosophical side. I like the lighthearted, silly side, it makes me laugh. So my approach is, yeah, if it makes me laugh, it makes my friends, my wife laugh, I put it on stage.

I mean, just our voice is so unique, and because of our experiences, which is also so unique. I mean, just the fact that I'm an English-speaking comedian who was mostly raised in Bangalore but is from a naval background. My dad was in the Indian Navy, whose parents are from Kerala. Since we traveled a lot, I can speak Malayalam and Hindi, which I think is unique. I live in a metro, in Mumbai now, and I think it's such an interesting mix of experiences that makes us so unique just by default. Stand-up comedy, after all, came from America and the UK, so we never got to hear that side of people. So it's great for the audiences also to hear their own stories be told on stage.

I think this whole medium is built on negative criticism or feedback because, unlike other professions, it's the most unique profession. In fields such as music, acting, writing and producing, you get to write your draft and rehearse your song at home, in isolation. Once you feel it's good enough, that’s when you present it. Stand-up, unfortunately, cannot be done like that. One can’t sit at home, write out the whole joke and perform. It'll never work, because stand-up comedy is so instinctual for the audience. You don't think and laugh, you laugh first, and then you think. That kind of reaction is so honest that it can only be invoked when you perform it in front of the audience. When they laugh is when you know, I'm going in the right direction. It’s a difficult and hard job with an unforgiving process, which is why very few people make it. So the rejection and criticism happen hand in hand as you are creating it. So by the time you present it to an audience, and by the time you, as an audience, come and pay money to see the final show, it has already gone through a round of criticism. So it barely needs any (criticism) cause it's fundamentally built on it. So I would add that I take criticism and negative feedback very, very, very well because as comedians, we receive it every day.

 think like with anything, the digital platform has democratized entertainment. No longer do you have gatekeepers, I mean, the West has Hollywood, in India you have Bollywood, and all that has gone away. Now, anybody sitting at home can kind of create content. So it's amazing in a way. In another way, the competition is tremendous, and relentless, which is great. I think it's only a good thing. The competition is just a con of how accessible the audience has become for a performer. But obviously, these are two different things. I think people forget that in my case, being a comedian and being a content creator are completely two different professions that require two very different skills and a lot of time. So it's a lot of work. It's basically two jobs at once.

I think you need to do comedy for the right reason. Right now, stand-up comedy and content creation has kind of become a profession that makes you money. But very few people make it, and I think people who make it, don't make it because they want to succeed. I think they make it because they love doing this. It gives them a lot of joy to create. For me to be on stage and telling jokes, I don't want to do anything else in my life and it brings me a lot of joy. So yeah, I think when you do that, ironically, success follows, and money follows you with some luck. If I had pursued this field like any other job where you put in X percent and you expect X percent out, that does not happen. So, I think you should do comedy for the right reason, which is, just to do comedy. Nothing else. You don't want anything else.

Yeah, so I have a lot of interests. I have a degree in painting, I love painting. I’m also a musician, I compose, sing and play the guitar. I also like shooting videos and editing them. I'm also into motorcycling. So there are a lot of interests, including acting. I think all of this kind of mixes and leaks into my comedy anyway. I think it's what also makes me unique. So, I think mixing all of these different art forms is what gives me my edge. I think theatre also helps me be more entertaining on stage.

I think this depends on which country you are in. I think if I was in America, I would have told jokes very differently, than if I was in the UK versus if I was in India. I think if you create a platform where artists or people in general can say whatever they want, you don't have to set boundaries. So these boundaries are not set willingly, these boundaries are set for self-preservation, just like I'm guessing you journalists have to kind of, you know, be careful about the lines you're crossing because, you know, it could affect your career or your standing or your reputation, or your status. I think it's very dependent on who you are, where you are, when you are. So those are the boundaries you set. I don't think it's a creative thing at all. It's just self-preservation.

This cancel culture in terms of comedy is mostly an American thing. I don't think it's happened in India. If people are inappropriate and if people feel bad, I think that exchange is seen as negative, but I don't think that cancels anybody. If somebody has broken the law, then they're rightfully persecuted for it. 

Again, I think because comedians especially don't come from a background of film or industry or any strong connections, so I guess, we are also very like soft targets, we are like regular people. I have no connection with anyone in the industry. My dad was in the Navy, very middle-class family. My mom's a homemaker. I should not exist, but because the audience liked my work I worked hard and I have something decent to show to the world, I'm here. I guess because we seem so accessible, we also seem very easy to tear down. But I hope, you know, people who are generally breaking any sort of laws should genuinely be facing the consequences for it. But I generally believe cancel culture doesn’t exist.

Easy, insightful and delightful.

I would love to collaborate with John Mulaney.

Yes, I'm writing a brand-new music comedy show. It's been long overdue, so I'm excited to do that. I’m writing a lot of scripts and producing a lot of new travel concepts.