Laughing through life: Atul Khatri talks about family, comedy, and career

It’s never too late to start something! One person who is a prime example of this statement is Atul Khatri, who ventured into stand-up comedy at the age of 48 after being the CEO of an IT company for over two decades.

Atul has never looked back since he left his job to become a full-time comedian in 2016 after trying his luck with comedy for four years. The comic has been entertaining people with his dad jokes, relatable incidents, and others. Atul, who is touring the country with his new show, sat with Indulge ahead of his show in Chennai. Excerpts.

What can we expect from your upcoming show?

This is a new show that I’ve written. I am yet to give it a name. Right now, I am calling it Atul Khatri Live. But I am very happy with the set. It talks about my relationship with my family, my wife, and my dog. I have been travelling for the past few years. It includes my observations from travelling across the world with NRI brothers. I’ve already been doing it for the last six months in Mumbai and other cities and has been getting great responses. I’m now looking forward to the show in Chennai.

How do you connect with your audience?

I get a lot of comments that my comedy is very relatable. I pick up from what everybody else sees around them rather than what’s happening around just me. So you, as an audience, when you’re sitting over there and wondering, ‘Kya re, how the hell? It happens to me as well!’ I think that’s where the fun comes. Furthermore, I like to come to the show a little earlier, watch my audiences, see who they are —whether it’s a young crowd or a slightly older crowd, and interact with them.

How is your relationship with the Chennai audience?

Honestly, I love Chennai. Just to let you know, I have many relatives in Chennai. I’m a Sindhi, and there is a lot of Sindhi population in Chennai. The city has been my second home. I even got my first driving licence in Chennai. Whenever I’ve had a show in Chennai, it’s been a sold-out show and I hope this time too it’s going to be the same.

Has starting late in comedy ever been a challenge for you?

Not really. I started around 13 years ago, at a time when stand-up comedy in India was liberating. We had new economic policies, India was opening up, and I think the audiences were also getting ready to watch stand-up comedy. I believe I came at the right time. I have the experience and I’m older — I have a school life, I have a college life, I have a married life, I have a mother-in-law life, I have a business life — so I can talk about more subjects than maybe a younger comedian can talk about because my timeline has been so long. The biggest compliment I get from even a young audience is that ‘we find your comedy very relatable and a lot of fun.’ I think that is my USP.

Your comedy often revolves around family and relationships. What’s your family’s take on it?

My family is very clear — as long as I make money and give them the share of proceeds, I can say what I want. I have a healthy relationship with my family. They are very cool. They enjoy me doing stand-up comedy and they are very proud of me.

Who are your biggest comedic influences?

I respect any comedian who can go up on the stage and make people laugh. They could be anyone, an open mic performer, or literally anyone. The best part about this line is that there is no entry-level barrier. Today, you could be a nobody, and then you have one hit stand-up comedy video, and tomorrow you will be the superstar. It’s very democratic in that way. Some of the peers I like are Vir Das especially because of the pure hard work he puts in the line. I also follow a lot of American and British comedians.

What is your advice to the upcoming comedians?

First of all, comedy is a serious line of business. If you are coming into it, you have to be very serious about it. It’s not fun. It’s serious hard work. Go and watch as much live comedy that’s happening in your city; don’t just watch it on YouTube. Write original content, go on stage as much as you can, and watch live programmes as much as possible.

Ticket starts from INR 999. On November 17. 4 pm & 7 pm. At Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery.

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