Kenny Sebastian opens up about his upcoming performance in Hyderabad

Wit, charm, and relatability are the words often synonymous with Kenny Sebastian, one of the brightest stars in the Indian comedy scene. His journey from a young boy in Bengaluru to a household name across the country is known to all. Kenny is bringing his Professor of Tomfoolery Vol. II presented by the entertainment platform Paytm Insider, to the city for the last time before he announces his next presentation. Ahead of his performance in Hyderabad on August 4 at Shilpakala Vedika, speaks to the comedian about the show, adding music to his stand-up and more.

Excerpts.

Tell us about Professor of Tomfoolery Vol. II.

We’ve actually done a show of Professor of Tomfoolery in Hyderabad before at the same venue. But we sold out pretty much in advance and we realised there was another demand for the show. So, we thought we’ll bring it back one last time. It’s a show about family, it’s the most honest and anecdotal show I’ve done so far. A lot of my audience is also pretty surprised about how much I’m sharing — very hardcore truth bombs and it’s a show that’s been very fulfilling because when I look at the audience I have people coming with their whole families and it’s a story about our communication between each other. Jokes are all light-hearted but the topics are all nice hard-hitting relatable ones. Interestingly, I’ve just done a small revision towards the end where we have two songs. How do you think of Hyderabad as the audience for comedy? Very hardcore. Last year we did the whole India tour, Hyderabad was mad. I think usually in other cities you get a laugh after a joke here you get like a wave. Also, we have the biggest show in Hyderabad with 2,000 seaters as demand is so much. I feel like since most people identify me as a South Indian comedian the South Indian love is very strong.

You have been doing comedy for the last 14 years. How has your journey been?

I keep telling people this that the one constant support we’ve had from day one has been the audience. The only reason that stand-up comedy in India exists is because of the love we get from the audience. Nobody supports comedy. A lot of the platforms don’t, the taxes don’t, the infrastructure doesn’t. This shouldn’t exist actually, but we do due to audience. During the pandemic, technically it should have died, though it took about two to three years to recover, it has come back stronger.

Do you have any defining moments in your career as a comedian?

The first time my videos went viral in 2014 was defining. I went from doing shows at small bars where 20 people are eating their food or drinking to solo shows, it was surreal. I constantly get humbled as you pay money to sit and listen to somebody tell jokes.

What inspired you to be a stand-up comic?

I was always a freelancer, so I was corporate video editor and I shoot corporate films for companies in Bengaluru. It wasn’t a conscious choice that oh, I’m going to be a stand-up as it wasn’t a career back then. For me, it was just like, oh, I’m making the same amount doing comedy as I’m making corporate videos. So, which is more fulfilling, definitely doing stand-up comedy. Because both were very uncertain, Both, I didn’t know when my paycheque would come. So, I decided that I might as well do something that brings me so much joy.

Do you feel there is competition in the field?

There’s no competition at all, instead there’s camaraderie. I was having a conversation with a friend and she was trying to tell me why can’t you teach stand-up comedy, why can’t it be taught and I was like unlike other art forms this is a subset of some-one’s personality. Singing is not a subset of someone’s personality, acting is not a subset. But being funny is a sub-set of a human being. So if you make that an art form, it’s very bizarre. So you can’t teach that. And second, unlike other art forms, 50% is what the stand-up comedian is saying and 50% is the audience’s reaction. The comedian is not independently telling a joke. He cannot exist if the audience is not in front of him, giving him that reaction. Unlike other art forms where the performance can still continue if the audience is silent. But here, you have to tell a joke and the audience gives you a laugh and then you continue. If you’re not getting the laugh, you’re not doing comedy, you’re giving a speech. Comedians one likes is a direct reflection of your personality and we all have our own niche way to do comedy. Actually, what happens is we kind of feed each other. So if somebody goes to see Vir Das, somebody goes to see Kanan Gill, they can’t come see me and vice versa. You know, they’re like, oh, I had a good experience with this guy. I’m sure I’ll have a good experience with the other guy as well.

Apart from comedy, what other interests do you have?

I love to relax, paint, sing, play video games, ride my motorcycles. Love to go on road trips with my friends and family.

Future plans?

Once this tour is done, the next special is coming up which will be a music special. Podcast is going on and I’ve written two songs and I have to write about 18 more songs. It’s a lot of work ahead. So I’m just focused on that. Hopefully if platforms are getting back into comedy, you will see me doing more comedy. I think people are just very scared about censorship and that’s why YouTube is really thriving as it has the least censorship.