Comedian Vivek Samtani takes to stage in Bengaluru this weekend

Born and raised in a middle-class family in Jabalpur, Vivek Samtani found his love for comedy at a very young age. What makes Vivek different from other male comedians is his use of sheer sarcasm to talk about issues faced by women in the country. He garnered a following on Instagram after his standup piece on sanitary pads went viral. His standup pieces are mostly in English and Hindi and his jokes are mostly anecdotal in nature. Now, he is all set to perform in the city, this weekend. But before that, we get into a quick chat with Vivek to uncover what he has planned for the evening.

You are one of the fastest-growing standup comedians on social media. But how did this journey begin?

Like all the comedians’ journey in our country, I also started with engineering (laughs). I was studying in Mumbai and was also very interested in theatre. Mumbai, in general, is very rich in culture, let it be movies, art or other things and standup comedy was part of it. I was very fascinated with it from the beginning. I used to follow foreign comedians and so, I thought I should give it a try. But after trying, I realised I shouldn’t have done it (laughs). But eventually, it worked out for me. But then COVID-19 came along and everything shifted online. But I kept on posting videos on social media and everyone liked it. That’s when my career as a standup comedian began.

What have you planned for the audience in Bengaluru?

In Bengaluru, you have to invest at least three hours of your life for a show like mine. It includes the actual show time and the travelling time. So, I’ll try to make sure that the audience laughs as much as possible. My pieces will revolve around philosophical references of life, my dating life and my upbringing in a small town and then coming to a big town. Then eventually relating to what happened in my life after fame came along.

When you go from one city to another, do you keep changing your set as well?

To be honest, 70 to 80 percent remains the same. But the rest 20 percent is tweaked according to the crowd and the city. For my performance in Bengaluru, I am expecting more IT professionals, so, my emphasis would be more on topics that they can relate to.

How do you start working on your sets?

There are always timeless topics. For example, until there are marriages and children, dating would always be a topic of discussion. I get a lot of material from that. Also, in India, everyone’s upbringing is different. There is no course on parenting. Everyone does it their own way. Therefore, parenting is also a funny topic when it comes to my sets.

There are very few male comedians who talk about women’s issues in our country through their standup pieces. You came to the limelight because of one such piece. Was it a conscious decision to do so?

I initially didn’t realise that it would go in that direction, to be very honest. When I was in my first relationship, I knew nothing about sanitary pads and it was shocking for me when I got to know about it for the first time. So, I was talking about it in a funny way on stage and I didn’t know people would love it so much. I wasn’t just talking about social topics but then people started talking about how I talk on social topics. Something that started as an unconscious decision has now become a conscious decision for me.

How has your experience been performing in Bengaluru?

Bengaluru probably has the sweetest and most evolved audience in the country. In other cities, I have noticed that the audience that comes to my shows are very much boxed in their own thoughts. But, that has not been the case in Bengaluru. The audience is more open and accepting here.

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on a couple of new and fresh pieces. And following my performance here, I’ll be heading to Hyderabad and Delhi for my shows.

INR 499. July 27, 7 pm onwards. At Courtyard Bengaluru Hebbal, Outer Ring Road.

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

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