Shraddha Jain opens up about So Mini Things, and how her childhood shaped the show

What do you get when you mix sharp wit, desi drama, and a dash of Aiyyo? You get Shraddha Jain, aka Aiyyo Shraddha — the internet’s favourite comic who’s now taking the stage by storm! From boardrooms to bedrooms, aunties to algorithms, she’s turning life’s everyday chaos into comedy gold. With her hit show So Mini Things, Shraddha is bringing her hilariously relatable take on modern Indian life to Hyderabad. Expect belly laughs, head nods, and that warm “she totally gets it” feeling. This isn’t just stand-up — it’s a celebration of all the mini things that make life absurdly entertaining! We caught up with Shraddha ahead of her show, presented by Livetree Entertainment.

Life’s little lessons

“This show is really a collage of my lived experiences, especially from when I was a child,” says Shraddha. “It reflects how I saw the world then — my political and religious views at that age, and how those shaped the way I look at life today. The show is called So Mini Things because it includes many mini-stories from my life.”

Sharing personal anecdotes that pushed her to write this show, Shraddha says, “It was one morning when my father and I were making tea. We suddenly remembered something I’d said a long time ago and we just started laughing uncontrollably. That moment made me think — if I can find this funny, maybe the audience will too.”

Between creative freedom and artistic responsibility

According to Shraddha, if one’s intention isn’t to recklessly ruffle feathers, you’re good. “You just need to ask yourself — why are you doing this? If your writing is meant to make someone feel malicious or wrong, then you need to be extremely careful. You’ll need to say things diplomatically, play with words, and mask your intent. But my intention has never been that. The only goal is for everyone in that auditorium to have a good time — and that shouldn’t come at the expense of a group, a thought, or an ideology,” she opines.

The road to comedy

Being a radio jockey was her first creative job, and it influences everything she does artistically, Shraddha tells us. “I had amazing mentors in radio, and that is my biggest brag. That training made it easy for me to adapt to different media — from radio to TV, OTT, Instagram, and then to stage. It’s all possible because I learned content and structure so well. After that, all it takes is enthusiasm and discipline.”

Comedy vs content creation

With content creation, you can improvise while shooting, edit, and rework. And if you’re still not happy with it, you can just not post it. But stand-up is different. Most of the preparation happens before, and on stage, you can improvise — but it may or may not work. “My online content is 90 seconds, and it’s free. If someone doesn’t like it, they just swipe up. But stand-up is a paid 90-minute show. It’s a huge jump from 90 seconds to 90 minutes. There’s pressure to make it worth people’s time and money. That’s why it’s so important for me to make it memorable. I only post originally written content. Every piece has a narrative arc — even if it’s just 90 seconds. It starts at a point and comes full circle. That’s the discipline I’ve brought into my videos, and it’s tough, but I think it's worth it.”

Taking the South Indian accent to a global stage

“You always start with what you’re comfortable with,” Shraddha says, adding, “Tulu is my mother tongue, so I started making content in that language. Then I moved to Kannada, which I learnt later in life. I wasn’t very confident at first, but I made content, and most of it worked.Then I started creating English content that’s for us —Indians. Some characters speak proper English, some speak with accents. There’s Mrs. Kulkarni, who speaks in a Marathi accent. The goal was to remind people of someone they know. That’s what makes characters feel real. But I’m careful not to make it too caricature-ish.”

Are Male and female comics any different?

“I’m truly gender-blind. Like how some people are colour-blind and can’t tell one shade from another, I’m that way with gender. When I see Jerry Seinfeld, I don’t see a man — I just see the craft. I don’t think people are laughing because he’s a guy,” affirms Shraddha, as she continues, “My biggest inspiration was Johnny Lever. Growing up, I never thought of him as a male comic — he was just Johnny Lever, a brilliant comedy artist. I didn’t even know there was a female version of the word comedian until much later in life!”

Does it all get overwhelming? 

“Yes, absolutely. That’s why I have low output. I don’t post every week. I only put something out when it really occurs to me. I don’t let the dashboard dictate my creativity. I’m aware when engagement drops, but I won’t jump on a trend just to push numbers,” Shraddha says. Talking about how she recharges creatively, she says, “I know that if I don’t live life, I won’t have anything meaningful to say. Everything you create comes from what you’ve seen, felt, experienced, eaten, smiled at, or heard. So I consciously take time off to live — to eat, talk, listen to people.”

Memorable ‘aiyyo’ moments on stage

For Shraddha, there have been quite a few. “When people come to my show for the third time, they already know what’s coming, so they finish the punchline for me — and that becomes my big ‘aiyyo’ moment.

My other ‘aiyyo’ moment is when the audience comes late. I’m the biggest first-bencher, the most punctual person, so when someone comes late, I feel bad that they have missed a bit of the show.”

Tickets at `899.July 27, 7.30 pm.

At Shilpakala Vedika, Hitech City.

Email: ananyadeval.m@newindianexpress.com

X: @indulgexpress 

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