BENGALURU: Team Lolbagh is all smiles. Kannada’s first and only standup comedy show will be presenting their 50 th show this weekend and the team is more than just excited. Started in December 2016, Lolbagh has managed to tickle the funny bones not just in Bengaluru but also across Karnakata, including Hubballi, Shivamogga, Mandya, Mysuru and Chikkaballapur.
The brain behind Lolbagh, Anup Maiya, however, feels that standup comedy scene in Kannada is yet to pick up pace. “I am happy that Lolbagh is doing its 50th show, but people here are yet to understand the concept of standup comedy. When we approach people, they wonder if it is ‘Mimicry’. So our biggest challenge is not just pooling in crowd but also explaining the concept,” he says.
“Compared to Hindi, English or even Tamil, Kannada standup comedy isn’t doing good in Bengaluru itself. There is no proper support. When they call us for a show, they expect a fun ride with a shoestring budget. This is also one of the concerns,” he adds.
Lolbagh is the only team doing Kannada standup comedy shows since a year. There has been no competition, which is disheartening, feels Anup. “Another team did only one show, but since there was no proper turnout, they called it off,” Anup adds.
Karthik Pattar, an I-T firm employee and a team member says, “Audience needed a change and Lolbagh was successful in giving that change and delivering the right jokes to laugh at.” Karthik’s comic tonic is on the ‘Thug Life’ of people from North-Karnataka. “While rehearsing, we might have liked a particular joke and expect audience to laugh at it. But, that doesn’t work always. There are times you think you’ve cracked a great joke but nobody laughs at it. Then in between suddenly the audiences crack up. But once you are on stage, the enthusiasm just flows in,” he says.
Seema Rao, who calls herself a part-time techie, and a homemaker, suffers from a unique condition called Laryngitis and guess what? That’s what she makes jokes on! “I narrate my ordeal in a funny way, which audience have liked till now. I also take on women-centric issues,” says Seema.
The team is all set to take the audience on a roller-coaster laughter ride on Feb 11 at K H Kalasoudha. All six team members of Lolbagh- Anup Maiya, Sudarshan Rangaprasad, Pavan Venugopal, Seema Rao, Karthik Pathar, Hampa Kumar Angadi - will perform for 10 to 15 minutes each.