Cats, comedy & coffee: Azeem Banatwalla comes to Hyderabad with his new comedy special, Generational

In an age where attention spans compete with cat videos and trending filters, comedian Azeem Banatwalla’s new show Generational explores what it means to be connected—to technology, people, and ourselves. As the comedian takes the stage with a performance laced with AI references, generational quirks, and an unexpected amount of cats, he promises a sharp, hilarious look at our deeply entangled relationship with phones, friends, and fractured attention spans.

Azeem Banatwalla’s ‘Generational’ is a reflection of the times we live in

At its core, the show is a reflection of the times we live in—one where memes replace conversations and our phones often know us better than our closest friends. “It’s about our relationships with our friends and our phones,” Azeem says, adding with a laugh, “And cats. Lots of cats.” The show also dives into the world of Gen-Z, “I love Gen-Z kids. If you watch the show, you’ll see why.”

Unlike a lot of comedians who have a eureka moment or specific muses in their life after which they start writing, Generational was specifically written for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “As much as I’d like to have a crazy story, there isn’t one. I set out to write something different, and I think it is achieved,” Azeem laughs.

Comedy in the generation of social media

As one of the veterans in the comedy scene, Azeem also holds a mirror to the evolving landscape, which he believes has been both aided and hindered by the rise of social media. He says that as we are a very young comedy scene, YouTube and Instagram came in too early. “Many comics started chasing fame and algorithms instead of working on their craft.” In his opinion, this has resulted in a generation of audiences now accustomed to bingeing stand-up as passive content, rather than experiencing it as a live, evolving art form. “If comedy had had the chance to grow organically in clubs first, we might have seen more full-time venues and better livelihoods for comics, beyond the handful who have gone viral,” Azeem adds.

While social media has given a platform to comics, it also became a space for unsolicited opinions. Speaking about how he deals with online trolls, Azeem says, “If it’s constructive and comes from people I respect, I take it on board. But nothing truly useful ever comes from social media. It’s mostly noise—people with no qualifications posting opinions just because there’s a comment box. On the rare occasion that I haven’t had my morning coffee, I might fire back—but it’s really a waste of mental energy on lesser evolved people. So, the solution is coffee—lots of it!”

Smart, self-aware, and slightly sardonic—just like the man himself—Generational is a comedy set for the scroll-and-swipe era, cats and AI.

Tickets at ₹799.

May 24, 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm.

At The Comedy Theatre, Gachibowli. 

Email: ananyadeval.m@newindianexpress.com

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