Manas Ranjan, aka MRP, comes to Hyderabad with Almost Maybe

Comedy has become one of the most prevalent forms of self-expression. Following the same, Almost Maybe, a show performed by stand-up comic Manas Ranjan Patnaik — known on stage as MRP — turns the confusions and contradictions of modern relationships into a deeply personal and disarmingly funny performance. The show draws from his own dating history and emotional misadventures, exploring how love, heartbreak, and introspection often live side by side.

Built on real-life experiences, Almost Maybe doesn’t aim to deliver a life lesson. Instead, it offers an honest slice of adulthood’s quiet uncertainties. The narrative drifts through the ‘almosts’ and ‘maybes’ that define so many turning points in life — those moments that never quite landed but still left a mark. “The show is about different relationships in various phases of my life, and my learnings from them. Although with no particular message in the end, if someone is able to relate with a certain part, they will definitely take home a realisation,” he says.

Much of Manas’ strength as a performer lies in his ability to take uncomfortable, even painful memories and transform them into something both meaningful and light. By drawing humour from deeply personal experiences, he not only reclaims difficult moments but creates a space where audiences can see their own lives reflected — and laugh at them. He also brings a unique warmth to the stage through his crowd work. For him, it’s not about roasting the audience, but about connection. “I have always been a people oriented person, and for me, crowd-work is all about interacting with different kind of people and getting to know their story,” he adds. “In these unscripted exchanges, there’s often a kind of spontaneous, shared discovery — one that turns strangers into participants in something fleeting and joyful.”

One of the major challenges Manas has faced is the ability of an audience to take a joke. He notes that the audience is unforgiving. “People are not ready for a joke, and end up linking unrelated things, only to get offended.An audience must forget a bad joke just like they do with a bad painting or a bad novel.”

With Almost Maybe, Manas offers a quiet resolution in laughter.

Tickets at `300.

April 19, 8 pm. At The Comedy Theatre, Gachibowli.