When Faiyaaz Hussain began his stint in stand-up comedy in 2018, the performing arts scene in his hometown Coimbatore was going through a dry spell. “I was an average kid who didn’t have any special talent other than being funny. It was my mother who encouraged me to pursue stand-up comedy.
Coincidentally, when I started writing jokes, Coimbatore hosted its first open mic for stand-up comedy. But again, the pandemic put things on the back burner. Later, I started doing open mics by myself as I believe that all a comedian needs is a stage. Only if I perform at open mics will I know how my jokes are going to land,” begins the comedian, who is all set to perform this weekend in Chennai.
The relocation to namma Chennai in 2022 gave a huge fillip to his ambition. “While Coimbatore had only one or two open mics, Chennai had five in a week. When I embarked on my standup journey, my stage time was barely 10 minutes in a month. Today, I get five minutes every day. For a starved performer, who was despairingly waiting for pazhaya soru, this was like having biryani.”
Today, Faiyaaz is known for his no-holds-barred humour. The comedian says that he can either entertain or offend and that he doesn’t care about political correctness or seek approbation. “It’s a price that I have to pay as a comedian. I can say with utmost conviction that I am the only stand-up comedian who performs in Tamil and receives a lot of hate comments for his jokes. At times, people even play the religion card and say that because I am a Muslim, I skewer certain political parties. The truth is that I love to converse about politics and current affairs, and so, I meld elements of comedy in it.”
So, how does he deal with a sensitive audience considering the tolerance level is nosediving? “Honestly, I have not met a single person who has had a problem with my jokes during my shows. If they do, I would like to have a conversation with them. On the other hand, I have received a deluge of hateful remarks online. I think the impunity that comes with anonymity plays a role in it. I don’t take online trolls seriously as I know that the person is not going to purchase a ticket for my show. But at the same time, I have to be active on digital platforms to reach out to a wider audience.”
Quiz Faiyaaz if he wants to venture into English comedy and pat comes the reply. “I’ve pondered over the idea. But I don’t think I am as hilarious in English as I am in Tamil. If I deliver my wisecracks in English, I will have to opt for universal topics as I cannot dive deeply into a topic. I will be barely scratching the surface,” he says, adding, “I also think we need to do more shows in Tamil because Tamil Nadu is an intriguing place. The politics here is quite vibrant and fused with innumerable elements and starkly opposite ideologies. I love political comedy but unfortunately, there is no profound political awareness among the young generation. Though we talk a lot about politics, those who consume politics as a part of comedy are in the dark about the deep-rooted affairs of the state.
So, what about the creative process while penning the jokes? “If I tell a joke, and someone gets offended, I am happy. I don’t want hate comments, but I want my jokes to strike up a conversation. I tread on familiar territory so that I don’t have to put in a lot of effort. I also ensure that my jokes appeal to newcomers as the regular audiences will anyway be in attendance.”
What has been the greatest challenge in stand-up comedy? “Making a living out of it! I hail from a middle-class family. Only if I do corporate shows, and resort to clean comedy, can I rake in the moolah. But corporate shows are a hostile environment as the stand-up shows are usually relegated to the finale of a workshop. The audience is already burnt out after a taxing day and deliberating on their targets. To make them dissolve into laughter is not a cakewalk. Moreover, a plethora of subjects that I like to talk about are taboo in a corporate set-up,” he says.
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Faiyaaz avers that in the last five to six years, there has been a huge influx of Tamil comedians. “Tamil comedy stand-up scene was dominated by one community, until recently. But today, you will find Muslim, Dalit and LGBT voices as well. Many women comedians have also arrived on the scene.”
Faiyaaz says that it’s the right time to take the plunge into comedy. “I want more people to test waters in it. The comedy scene is bustling and there is a good eye for consistency and talent.”
Tickets start at `247. February 17, 7 pm.At IDAM- The Art and Cultural Space.
You can contact the writer over email at sangeetha.p@newindianexpress.com and follow her on X @psangeetha2112