Local laughter: This comedy duo's ‘Staying in the Lame’ stand-up reflects life in Chennai

Having lived in Chennai for nearly two decades, the duo Bala Kumaran and Vijaynarain Rangarajan know the city inside out. Based on their experiences in the city, the long-time acquaintances have come up with a stand-up comedy titled Staying in the Lame. As Bala Kumaran puts it, the show is essentially them “being lame on stage.”

The duo’s humour is deeply rooted in the city’s culture. “Chennai has been our home for so long, and it’s shaped our sense of humour,” says Bala Kumaran. “We talk about everyday things, like how certain food outlets have suddenly become popular, and it’s all very Chennai. Performing here means we don’t have to worry about whether people will get our jokes — they’re just like us.”

Describing the jokes, he adds, “It’s always something that happened to you or impacted your life, but packed in a different form. It is about things that happen in our lives, or the things that we see daily,” he says.

Vijaynarain, primarily known as a musician, brings a unique twist to the show by infusing his musical talents into the comedy. “They are jokes, but music-based jokes,” he explains. Although excited, he admits feeling nervous about this new venture, as it reveals a different side of his personality that fans may not have seen before.

However, for Vijaynarain, creating comedic content poses a different challenge compared to writing songs. “Coming up with new material for comedy is harder than writing music, which is why I don’t do it often. Making people laugh is tough. With music, there’s a certain level of expectation, and as long as you stick to the basics, you can control the performance and audience response. But with comedy, you never know how people will react on a given day. If a joke bombs, it bombs,” he shares.

One general rule that Bala Kumaran follows to make jokes resonate with the audience is to avoid focusing solely on yourself or the audience.

“If you only point out their flaws, it won’t land well. Similarly, if you only talk about yourself, the audience might not connect with or find it relatable,” he says.

“You can start with something about yourself and then link it to something funny or flawed in society, or begin with a societal observation and bring it back to you.” Bala Kumaran adds.

Though the duo has collaborated before for smaller, private audiences, Staying in the Lame marks their first official public performance. “Bala Kumaran has his own signature style of humour, which is quite different from mine,” Vijaynarain notes. “There’s a nice contrast between what we do, and we hope the audience will enjoy that dynamic.”

Tickets at INR 349. August 11. 7 pm onwards. At Madras House (Kalki), Thirumangalam

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