While you weren’t looking, Kolkata nurtured a fierce comedy scene, and it’s only thriving. A number of open mics are held in the city every month, and this month too, two millennial comics are set to bring their original stand-up set at Cafe HQ. Titled Madhyamik, the comedy show features Vivek Gupta and Abhinav Tewary, and is scheduled to be held on March 30 at 7 at the Tollygunge cafe.
“We think this show can be really relevant to the city’s people, it’s in Hindi, Bengali and English. We’ll be doing 30 minute sets each and also at this point, we’re really trying to get people to show up for local acts, especially. And both Abhinav and I are from state boards, so we have some stuff which is specific to Kolkata and its youngsters,” Vivek tells us. The 24-year-old comedian has only been in comedy for a year and a half now, and is pursuing it full-time now.
“I was very closely associated with theatre in school and early days of college. One of my childhood friends was really into comedy and I went for a show back in 2017, and I really wanted to try it out. I have been hitting open mics since then, and that’s how it came about,” says the comedian, who’s just back from a Mumbai gig, and is headed to Delhi next.
Vivek tells us that there’s a diverse number of people joining in the city’s comedy scene, and everyone has something substantial to offer. “The scene has been evolving. Since the time, Anirban da (Dasgupta) and Sourav da (Ghosh) started out, there have been some immense changes. And I really think with time, it will only get better. I’m a fan of anyone who has something new to offer and a fresh voice,” we are told.
Vivek refuses to equate his love for comedy with money or material success, as he has witnessed first hand how much effort goes into a single act. This is also why he refuses to name any favourites from the Indian scene. “You cannot align the craft with the monetary part, and you cannot shape your materials just to earn money. You have to be honest with your audiences, and it also demands a lot from you. The money’s not a lot right now, but there’s space for all of us,” says the young comedian, who also tells us that comedy is perhaps one of the most subjective performance arts.
“We cannot write our material from the audience’s perspective, it has to be based on what we think. But then again, we want them to laugh along with us, and not at us,” adds Vivek.
Madhyamik will take place on March 30 at 7 pm at Cafe HQ, Kalighat, Kolkata