From Cinema to Comedy: All about Ashish Vidyarthi’s new stand-up special ‘Vitthal Kaanya’

Ashish Vidyarthi has been killing it on screen with his acting (quite literally too). Now he is killing it with his jokes on the stage, as the actor has forayed into stand-up comedy with his comedy special, Vitthal Kaanya.

Ashish, who has acted in over 300 movies across languages, including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, and Bengali, has been majorly known for his villainous roles. He tells us that he now wishes to take it lightly. “I have died so many times. Now I don’t want to die at work,” he says.

He adds, “I have a funny bone. But over the years, most of my darker shades have been used in cinema. Hence, I have been repeatedly cast that way. As an actor, I am energetic and want to do many things. So, rather than waiting for people to give me those roles, I asked, why don’t I write that for me? And that’s how this stand-up comedy happened.”

Ashish does not find the switch to comedy from acting a drastic change. He views both as forms of acting. “Stand-up is a whole new genre that I am venturing into. It is just a new aspect of me that I have stepped into apart from acting, vlogging, and being a motivational speaker.”

The actor has been touring with Vitthal Kaanya across the country. He has already performed in Nepal, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

According to him, what sets the tone of his stand-up is that, rather than joking at others throughout the set, he is laughing at himself while describing the events/incidents that have happened in his life.

“At the core of it is my experiences in life. I happen to have travelled to most cities in India. And there will be personal references of me being there, my connection with the audience, and more. So, my India tour has references of different cities.”

“Besides, I love to crack jokes on myself and watch people have a great laugh. I engage in conversations with people so that people get to laugh at me,” he adds.

If you are familiar with his YouTube vlogs, then you will not be alien to this side of him. With over 21 lakh subscribers, his channel and videos are a hit on the internet. “I love to dive into cultures. I enjoy going into those small places and trying out the tasty foods and meeting people. Having food with people in different parts of the country has allowed me to do something which I have always wanted to do,” shares Ashish.

Chennai, which he calls his karma bhoomi, is closer to his heart. Having lived in the city for long stretches over the years, he has various interesting anecdotes that he wishes to share with the audience.

However, irrespective of the cities he will be performing in, Ashish guarantees that the audience will have a fun time with his comedy special.

“I meet different kinds of people in various cities, and playing for them, helping them relax, and ensuring they have a great time is what excites me. I don’t see it as a challenge; instead, I find it thrilling to interact with people in person, rather than through the distance of cinema,” he shares.

Tickets start at INR 799. September 6, 7 pm. At Medai - The Stage, Alwarpet.

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