Stand-up comedian Vineeth Srinivasan on his new show, ‘Ungrateful’

For the past eight years, Vineeth Srinivasan has been balancing the life of a working professional and a stand-up comedian. He is known for his humorous takes on various aspects of urban life, particularly the corporate world and city living. His comedy career that started when he was just 21 is now culminating in Ungrateful, his brand-new solo show on tour for the first time, which he describes as the ‘fruit’ of everything he has done so far. he tour, which kicked off in Pune on February 8, is making its way to Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, with plans to expand to Delhi and beyond.

Though Vineeth has built strong online presence with viral sketches like ‘My autocorrect has no hope left’ and pieces on topics like Mumbai’s housing crisis and the eternal struggle of Mumbaikars with the BMC, stand-up was never the main feature of his social media pofiles and channels until now. “On Instagram, I’ve only recently started posting stand-up. Before this, I mainly posted sketches and other small content. tandup wasn’t something I posted, but now it’s a regular feature,” he explains. ven with this shift, his comedic voice remains unchanged. “he stand-up is in a similar tone to my sketches — bitter, with a lot of complaining. It’s quite whiny, really. More or less, it’s a reflection of my voice,” Vineeth shares.

At 29, Vineeth’s comedy reflects both his personal growth and his signature cynicism. “I have a part of my set that’s a story from many years ago, which focuses on how different I am now compared to when I was 21. It’s about something that happened back then that I can’t even imagine happening now,” he elucidates. longside these personal reflections, Ungrateful is filled with his usual sharp takes on life — Indian parenting, the struggles of modern adulthood and the cultural quirks of the cities he has lived in.

For someone who has been in stand-up for nearly a decade, Ungrateful represents his most polished work yet. “I’ve been doing stand-up for eight years now, though I’ve only done about four or five solo shows so far. Ungrateful is definitely the culmination of everything I’ve done. he material in this show dates back a couple of years, though it has evolved over time. It’s more reflective of the last two or three years. I’ll be recording the Bengaluru shows as I plan to upload some of the material from there,” he says. Looking back, Vineeth acknowledges that he has changed not just as a comedian but as a person: “Over the last eight years, I’ve also grown. When I started, I was just 21 and very much new to the work scene. But with time, I’ve become a bit more settled. arlier, I would just write something and perform it immediately. Now, I take a little more time to work on my material.”

The response to Ungrateful has been overwhelming, particularly in Bengaluru, where his show sold out in record time. “When I first announced the show, the Bengaluru show sold out within a week — well before the date! So, I had to add another show and even that’s almost sold out. Other cities like Pune and Hyderabad have also shown a pretty decent response,” the comedian reveals. ‘Describe Ungrateful in just three words,’ we demand and he responds with a laugh saying, “Rage, parenting and therapy. If you’re cynical, slightly bitter and angry — this show is for you. If you’re a hater like me, I think you’ll feel quite represented by what I’m saying here,” Vineeth concludes.

₹499. February 15, 2 pm . At The Underground Comedy Club, Koramangala.