Comedian Jeeveshu Ahluwalia’s phone has been ringing left, right and centre. His performance is in a few hours and he must concentrate on revising his content. But instead of being on tenterhooks, he seems as calm as a monk. Of all the emotions that drive him, panic isn’t one of them. “How can I worry? My job is to make people laugh,” he says smiling.
Main Aa Raha Hoon is the title of the show wherein Ahluwalia delves inside a receptacle of observational humour. He brings up things that drive him crazy, the foremost being the lack of common sense these days.
Presented by Chull Entertainers, the play interweaves witty monologues, strange situations and references to eccentric friends. “I just observe people and life in general. The worst aspects of life, bad friends and horrible conditions will make anyone a comedian. I try to put a funny twist and showcase the same to others from my eyes,” he says. It’s to these people that he owes his success.
It’s true for most comedians that they derive an innate sense of satisfaction making other people laugh. It’s true for Ahluwalia too. The euphoria of seeing people elated by his entertainment is unmatched. “We’re so preoccupied with the rat race that when I am able to pull away people from it with my absurdity, I feel happy that they can enjoy some lighter moments in their routine too,” he says.
He feels that humour has to be made part of the everyday life and not just as an item of performance. With technology taking over our private spaces, it’s all the more important to bond frequently. A hearty laugh is still the best way to do that, the comedian feels. “Life is a short journey and even shorter for us to be sad. As they say ‘add life to days not days to life,” he says.
Generally speaking, Ahluwalia is a laid back person who is fiercely opinionated and has strong likes and dislikes. Being humble and staying connected with his roots is very important to him. It has contributed towards making him what he is.
Life is nothing but work in progress for him and the one thing that’s made it worthwhile is humour. “It’s changed me completely. I now want to live more and do more. I am inspired to make a change, to be the change. Most importantly, it has got me a bigger house, a bigger car and sufficient bread and butter to keep my paunch in place,” he says with a loud laugh. December 10, at 7 pm, Siri Fort Auditorium.
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