Avinash Barabari’s journey from data desks to owning the stage in his mother tongue in Hyderabad

The journey into comedy for some, starts with open mics; for others, with stories. For Avinash Barabari, it began in the most unexpected corners of corporate life — customer service, finance operations and later, data analyst — before spilling into theatre workshops squeezed between office hours. That pull towards performance eventually led him to radio, then acting and finally, a full-fledged stand-up career shaped by clean, rooted, unmistakably Hyderabadi humour.

Avinash Barabari’s Ekdum Hyderabadi is where mother tongue becomes the mic drop

His latest show, Ekdum Hyderabadi, is a celebration of the same. “The name had to fit me,” Avinash explains. “It had to be as solid as biryani.” And while biryani is the city’s global calling card, he insists Hyderabad’s culinary identity runs deeper. “Everyone knows biryani,” he says. “But try Mutton marag and if you can get it, Pachi pulusu — the real, home style version. That’s the taste of Hyderabad beyond the obvious.”

Writing and performing jokes start with a ritual Avinash never skips: performing for himself first. “I see myself as the audience,” he says. “I become the critic and the judge for my own joke before it reaches anyone else.” This instinct sharpened when he moved from RJing — where punchlines disappear into silence — to instant verdict of stand-up, where a room tells you immediately whether a joke has landed or not.

Even as he travels across cities, he refuses to dilute his Hyderabadi-Telugu tone or rhythm. “If I soften it, I lose half my personality.” And in many ways, that refusal has become his signature.

Alongside comedy, Avinash continues to write and act, with two films already released and two more on the way. His one-liners — whether declaring that a three-month relationship is “just an internship,” or the auto driver shayari he reimagines as stand-up material like Phool hai gulaab ka, khushbu diya karo; gaadi hai gareeb ki, side diya karo. “Hyderabad gives you lines for free,” he jokes.

Avinash performs crowd work too but on his own terms. “I keep it clean,” he says firmly. “Punching down is easy; I’d rather not. Crowd interaction is actually tough — you can fall many times. But I like that challenge.” Instead of relying on audiences for shortcuts, he often flips the moment by asking what they perceive from his persona on stage. “That’s when the real fun begins,” he states.

As for the future, his path is clear. “I want to keep performing in Telugu, wherever I go,” he says with pride. “If you succeed in your own language, that feeling is bigger than anything else.”

Tickets start at ₹299 .November 23, 7 pm. At The Moonshine Project, Jubilee Hills.

Email: isha.p@newindianexpress.com

X: @indulgexpress

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.