BENGALURU: Dr Anil Abraham dons many hats when he’s not wearing his stiff white doctor’s coat. The city-based dermatologist has been doing theatre for more than 20 years, since his school days in St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, but it wasn’t until last year that he got involved with improv comedy.
Surprisingly, he has Bengaluru traffic to thank for this transformation. “My commute time increased due to the traffic conditions in the city. It was starting to take me two/two-and-a-half hours to get to Ranga Shankara or Jagriti Theatre, which is where we would practice. Improv is on the spot, you play off of the situations the audience suggests. This way I could pursue my passion without disturbing my profession. It’s more challenging too,” says Dr Abraham.
When the doctor first told people about his passion for comedy, he was overwhelmed by their positive reaction. “I found that doing something off-beat actually makes you more acceptable. And it definitely helps people do away with their belief of doctors only being grumpy,” adds Dr Abraham.
Besides being his strongest supporters and most picky critics, his sons (aged 16 and 13) also help him stay “young and relevant”. When Dr Abraham heard the music his sons listen to, he decided to incorporate the same in one of his punchlines. “I had one of my characters jump out of a car and do the famous Kiki challenge. After the show, my younger son told me the punchline was good but the song was outdated now! He then went on to tell me with an updated list of music I could use instead,” he explains.
His biggest inspiration, however, has always been Robin Williams. “A particular quote by him keeps me going: ‘You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it’” he says. And he sure does everything in his capacity to keep his spark alive. For a doctor who starts his day at 9.30am and ends it at 8pm, finding time to dedicate to improv must be hard. But not for Dr Abraham, who firmly believes that if one has a hobby they love, they must somehow find time to nurture it. “Most of my practice is done later in the evening or night. I prefer to write in the mornings. There are fewer distractions at 5am,” the doctor explains.
With 30 shows with the group The Improv to his credit, Dr Abraham is now a seasoned improv artist. Medicine and comedy, however, are not two separate spheres of interest for him. “Being a good performer helps me improve my communication skills. It’s a good way to get my patients to warm up to me. I like to be the jolly, funny doctor people like to visit,” says Dr Abraham.