NEW DELHI: The landing is uncertain but the takeoff is exhilarating, and in between you are insensate. In that very moment lies the adventure of humour. Not knowing what could happen next, brings inexplicable excitement that a thrill seeker like Aditi Mittal pines for. This stand-up comedian is performing at the first edition of April Fools Fest where she plunges into the thick of comedy, leaving inhibitions in a faraway corner, setting out on an adventure of the laughs.
Mittal is a huge fan of food and humour, both of which are being offered as part of the festival, in addition to music. “I realize that April 1 is one of those things which is very local to India and therefore, a part of our culture. It’s a continuation of that tradition of being silly and ridiculous and,” she says.
Mittal has been a comedian for some time now and doesn’t really see it as conventional work. Having said that, she stresses how ‘work’ still needs to be done before the fun begins on stage. “Sometimes you fail miserably before being funny,” she says.
Despite the novelty of the profession, stand up is still hugely underestimated. Any comedian will tell you that being funny is serious business. It takes guts, practice and a whole lot of credence in what you’re going to perform. “At the end of the day, if you’re having a terrible day, your cat has died, your car broke down, or you’re generally feeling unhappy, you still need to make people laugh, and that’s something,” says Mittal.
It really is like an adventure sport, she believes. You put on the parachute and jump. “Failure could be round the corner and that’s what people underestimate about us,” she says.Accompanying her will be artistes such as Sumukhi Suresh an actor, stand-up comedian, writer and director; Anu Menon, an Indian film director and writer; Neeti Palta, a stand-up comedian; Aadar Malik, an actor, musician, stand-up artiste; Sahil Shah of East India Comedy, and Atul Kharti.
The music stage includes Divine (Gully Gang) a rapper and hip-hop artist from Mumbai; Grammy-nominated Raja Kumari; LushLife, an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia; PrabhDeep a rapper; DJ Ishani, a Hip-Hop artiste; MadStarBase, an international music collective representing USA, UK, India, and Jamaica, and others.
There is a special F and B zone that includes pop-ups such as Eggjactly, The Grumpy Old Man, Amma Haus, Asian Haus, Fat Lulus, Big Fat Sandwiches, Keventers, Imagine, Sugarthreads, Minus 30, and All Things Chocolate. There is a beer cocktail bar interesting beer concoctions.Mittal is anticipatory about how the first edition of the festival will look like, especially the funny parts intertwined into the event.
She says there is nothing in this world that she doesn’t find funny. Perhaps, that makes her life easier. She lives with a light-heartedness that carries her forward each day “I have not seen any major tragedy in my life and for me to not to see the upper side of everything is unnatural,” says the artiste. She is most humbly touched when she sees older people enjoying her shows. “That I am able to connect with different generations, is truly a special feeling,” she says.
In a few days, she’s off to Australia to perform at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which she is really excited about. “I never imagined someone sponsoring a ticket, hotel stay and paying me to perform in another continent,” she says with a giggle.
Quickly then...
Ask yourself a question and then answer it.
Aditi, would you like another helping of food? The answer is yes. I never say no to food
When someone you don’t like hits on you?
Best is to act like hain...
what?
The time when you thought it won’t work out.
Everyday
One thing that’s pulling India back.
Not being able to acknowledge its own problems
Advice for people who come for your show.
They’ve bought a ticket so they should be giving me advice
March 31-April 1, from 2 pm to 10 pm, at NSIC Grounds, Okhla. Tickets can be booked at insider.in