Varun Karyakarte’s latest show in Hyderabad turns everyday bugs into comedy

Varun Karyakarte has found a way to make life’s glitches work in his favour. A test engineer by profession and a comedian by passion, he approaches stand-up with the same methodical precision he applies to software — except instead of filing defects, he files jokes. His latest show, Sanity Testing, plays on the engineering term while turning everyday frustrations into punchlines. “Sanity Testing is a double entendre,” he explains. “As a test engineer, we check whether an application is working as intended. If it isn’t, we file a defect. My idea was to use the same approach for jokes. Whenever something bad happens in my life, I immediately file a joke about it. When life throws a bug at you, you report it to the audience and laughter is the only patch that can fix it.”

From Goa plans to caffeine crashes, Varun Karyakarte turns everyday frustrations into punchlines on stage with Sanity Testing in Hyderabad

The recurring “bugs” in his own life are instantly familiar: friends endlessly postponing a Goa trip, managers calling after work for a “quick sanity check,” and a caffeine addiction that, ironically, is the only thing keeping him sane. “There are a few deeply personal bits in the show that were extremely difficult for me to narrate at first,” he says. “But over time, I found ways to deliver them without losing my sanity.”

For Varun, comedy is less about avoiding misfortune and more about mining it. “A comedian is always thinking about their next joke. Sure, I got punched in the face, but at least I got a solid 10 minutes of material out of it,” he quips. Returning to Hyderabad, his hometown, makes the experience even more special. “People here come without preconceived judgement. They let you settle in and experiment,” he says, adding with a smile, “What catches me off guard is that Hyderabadi audiences are surprisingly on time — and they’re ready to laugh from the very start.” By the end of Sanity Testing, he hopes audiences leave having shared his sanity check, whether through recognition or relief. “Some will think, ‘That happened to me as well,’ while others will be glad it didn’t.”

Tickets start at ₹149. July 18, 8 pm. At Garage Moto Café, Jubilee Hills.

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