comedian – soniasmusings

W for Karunesh Tal(W)ar

The primary similarity between the content of stand-up comedian Karunesh Talwar and the Bollywood movie ‘Thappad’ is about making the audience uncomfortable about issues that have been normalized for too long. This cynical writer and comedian believe in choosing humor as a medium to communicate his angst against such happenings while also initiating a conversation around such topics. I discovered Talwar through one of his hard-hitting YouTube videos on women’s safety long back. Back then, he would mostly perform while sitting in one place. It was way different from the usual way of acting out jokes by most of his contemporaries. Over time, the chair has disappeared from the stage but the style of the act in the form of a conversation stays the same. The man with an expressive set of eyes only uses content and voice modulation to get his point across.

Karunesh Talwar - Source: Facebook — Karunesh Talwar – Source: Facebook

During his performance, there are no histrionics on stage, no over-the-top performances and no intention of sugar-coating jokes. He is one of the most sensible, straight-forward and intelligent comedians. He also belongs to the rare group of feminist artists who highlight issues from a woman’s perspective. I identify him as a stand-up humorist who tries to show the mirror to a patriarchal society.

He also cracks jokes about the current political scenario and a few unique topics like the Masterchef show and Bollywood. He made a stellar debut on Amazon Prime with his brilliant stand-up special Pata Nahi Par Bolna Hai’. Talwar’s performance is a classic example of using words as a medium to stir the conscience of its audience while tickling them with humor. Recently, his homemade joke videos on life during quarantine turned out to be a laugh riot.

This is the twenty-third post in the Blogchatter A2Z challenge based on the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona’. Stay tuned to know the details of the content creator(s) getting featured in my post for X tomorrow.

You can read all the posts in this series here. Hope this video brings a smile on your face.

U for Abhishek Upmanyu

I discovered Abhishek Upmanyu, a curly-haired and bespectacled confident comedian with a unique way of delivering jokes in one of Biswa Kalyan Rath‘s videos. He was the only one among a handful of comedians who could make a bunch of children laughs with his impromptu gig. His pace of conversation is so unique that it earned him a show titled ‘thoda saaf bol.’ Over time, this Delhi humorist has got himself a make-over (both the specs and curls have disappeared) while his content has evolved into humor that’s witty yet insightful.

Abhishek Upmanyu Source: YouTube — Abhishek Upmanyu-Source: YouTube

This sharp-witted comedian started stand-up shows speaking about how ugly he looked while as a new-born baby to speaking about the unnecessary pressure on kids to respect elders, life in Delhi v/s Mumbai, friendship, obsession with the show of crime patrol, and many other topics. This observant performer draws inspiration from the mundane things in life and fits the relevant issues within the context of his show.

Of late, he has also started uploading unedited versions of his trial shows and videos of live audience interaction. His self-deprecating humor while roasting people with the same first name as him is ridiculously funny. Upmanyu’s content steers clear of unnecessary profanity and abusive language.

This is the twenty-first post in the Blogchatter A2Z challenge based on the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’ I will see you tomorrow when I disclose the featured funny man in my post for V.

You can read the previous posts in the series here. Don’t forget to click on his video to know why Upmanyu has a special attachment to the crime patrol show.

S for Sumukhi Suresh

Sumukhi Suresh is a firebrand performer. I was introduced to her skills through the Better Life Foundation web series created by Naveen Richard and Them Boxer Shorts. While she featured in a bunch of AIB videos, sketch comedies like ‘Go straight, take left’, I was mesmerized by dark humor she created in the Behti Naak series with Kumar Varun and Trupti Khamkhar. Through Behti, a ten-year-old with a deadpan expression, she spoke about issues like the perception towards marriages in India, domestic abuse, racism and many more She also created the memorable character of a house-help Parvathi Bai in the form of a series with Sanjay Manaktala. She has been a part of both the seasons of Comicstaan, playing the part of a host in the first season and that of a judge in the second season. She has also acted in the Kannada movie ‘Humble Politician Nograj’ with Danish Sait.

Sumukhi Suresh - Source platinumlist.ne: — Sumukhi Suresh – Source: platinumlist.net

Three years back, I binge-watched Pushpavalli Season one and I was so blown away by her writing skills, thought-process behind creating the not-so-likable protagonist and her acting prowess that I had to write a review for the show. In the last couple of months, her first solo stand-up special ‘Don’t Tell Amma’has been launched on Amazon Prime and she recently returned with the second season of Pushpavalli co-starring Naveen Richard that manages to keep the audience at tenterhooks yet again. Sumukhi is one of the finest humorists we have in India whose range of characters, topics, and ideas re-define the word ‘versatile’.

This is the nineteenth post in the Blogchatter A2Z challenge based on the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’ I will see you tomorrow when I disclose the featured funny man in my post for T.

You can read the previous posts in the series here. Dark Humour isn’t a genre explored by many Indian artists, so I am sharing one of Sumukhi’s brilliant sketches. It might make you smile but is bound to hit you hard.

L for Kanan Gi(LL)

I discovered Kanan Gill through the hilarious ‘Pretentious movie review’ series that he co-hosted with Biswa Kalyan Rath on his YouTube channel. I found him effortlessly charming in the series of ‘Better Life Foundation’ next created by ‘Them Boxer Shorts’. This good-looking and humourous performer has a unique pace of delivering jokes. In fact, the introduction to his stand-up special on Amazon Prime ‘Keep it Real’ has his friends from the stand-up industry telling him to slow down while speaking.

Kanan Gill - Source YouTube — Kanan Gill – Source: YouTube

This multi-talented performer has acted and created sketch comedies like ‘How Insensitive’ and ‘Sketchy Behavior’(with Kenny Sebastian). He made his debut as an actor in the movie ‘Noor’ starring Sonakshi Sinha. He has also been a judge on both the seasons of Comicstann and is now making his debut on Netflix with the solo special ‘Yours sincerely’.

This is the twelfth post in the Blogchatter A2Z challenge based on the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’ I hope to see you tomorrow as I divulge one of the most talented YouTube creators in my post for M tomorrow.

You can read all the posts in the series here. Watch this video by Kanan Gill that will make you go LOL.

G for Abijit (G)anguly

I discovered Abijit Ganguly through the controversy of Kapil Sharma lifting one of his jokes for his show without giving Ganguly any credit. I found a bunch of his stand-up comedy videos on his YouTube channel. But it is in the last few months that I have become a huge admirer of his strong content. Straight faced dialog delivery with expressive eyes, his jokes hit a solid punch on the face of our hypocrite society. He is opinionated and is often trolled for his bold views but keeps getting better at taking those offensive comments in his stride to create an impactful content again.

Abijit Ganguly (Source: @AbijitG on Twitter)

Married to a Gujarati, this Bengali performer speaks humorously about mundane things like his cross-cultural marriage, the concept of millennial couples, funny side of friendships just like he manages to effortlessly switch over to the current political situation in the country. His words make much more sense than most of the politicians in power today. Watch the video at the end of my post for confirmation

This is the 7th post in the #BlogchatterA2Z series under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’ I hope to see you tomorrow when I disclose the name of the comedian featured in my post for H.

You can read all the posts in this challenge here. Have fun and don’t forget to laugh!