Actor Ashish Vidyarthi gears up for his stand-up comedy India tour

Ashish is currently touring different cities in India for his stand-up comedy gigs. These cities include Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata as part of his India tour series

In Frame: Ashish Vidyarthi

Published on:

28 Aug 2024, 11:33 am

Updated on:

28 Aug 2024, 11:33 am

2 min read

While you must have seen him portray deadly villains, get ready now to laugh your heart out as Ashish Vidyarthi takes the stage in different cities of India and abroad as a stand-up comic. Surprised? You shouldn’t be—after all, this is Ashish Vidyarthi we’re talking about, the living embodiment of ‘one man, many personas.’

An avid traveller, the Kill actor understands that each city has its own unique personality, and the audience's taste varies accordingly. So, he has curated his shows with that in mind. “I’m well aware that each audience will be very different from the next. That’s the positive challenge of being a stand-up comic. You have your material, but you have to fine-tune it for each city, make it topical, and ensure it’s relatable. After years of doing theatre, this is a return to the stage for me, but in a new form. I’m really excited to bring my comedy to my audience. Each city in India offers a new opportunity to connect with audiences who have only seen me in films until now. Performing live in front of them will be a completely different experience,” he said with a smile.

So, what made him become a stand-up comedian, we ask?

“After having done more than 350 films across 11 languages, with 99% of them as a villain, I really wanted to explore the comedic side of me. Since childhood, I've been someone who loves to joke, crack jokes at myself and others, and enjoy light-hearted conversations. So, with stand-up comedy, I thought, let me reconnect with my funny bone and share it with an audience. In the shows, I am laughing at myself. I am laughing at things that have happened in my life, and people have appreciated that clean, green comedy can be created without any abuse or innuendos,” said the actor, who received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Drohkaal in 1995.

Meanwhile, there’s no stopping him when it comes to powerful performances on screen. Recently, his roles in Kill and Vedaa have once again proved why he is considered one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. In both films, he played negative characters, yet the roles are poles apart.

“Kill has been an amazing film. It’s a hardcore violence film that takes violence to a new level, exploring its artistic boundaries. Vedaa is also an action film where I play a negative character in both. Each character is different from the other. The fascinating aspect of being an actor is that whether you play a villain or a hero in multiple films, each role is portrayed differently, depending on the script and the genre. Vedaa is a highly performance-driven film, whereas Kill had a lot of action and performances. I’m very happy that Kill is being appreciated so much all over,” added Ashish.

Check out Ashish's India Tour schedule here: