CHENNAI: There are many stand-up comedians in the country, and the number keeps increasing every day. But in 2009, when Praveen Kumar was thinking about it, there was just a handful. Born and raised in Kanchipuram, Praveen has been on the stage ever since his college days. Though he would perform mime at the time, he loved the idea of making hundreds of people double up in laughter. “I wanted to continue doing that, but finding similar-minded people was not possible,” he opines.
Shifting to Bengaluru for an MBA, comedy took a back-seat till he met Vir Das for an open mic competition in 2009. The concept was to win the audience within two minutes, and the winner will get five minutes stage time on his next show. “I won the second time! And since then, I haven’t let go of this,” he grins.
He teamed up with two more comedians Sundeep Rao and Sanjay Manaktala and formed the ‘Bachchus’, and they performed in several cities from 2010. “And that’s when the comedy culture started spreading across the country,” he recalls.
Branching out to start solo shows, Praveen staged his first 60-minute show, Fickle-minded, in January 2014. And two days later, he quit his job in marketing to pursue standup full-time. Over the past four years, he has toured India with three English special shows, including his first one, and debuted his Tamil solo special, 36 Vayadhiniley last year — probably the first ticketed one-hour Tamil stand-up comedy show.
“A friend suggested I tap into the potential Tamil market. And since I usually think in Tamil, and translate that to English, I thought a Tamil set will be way more comfortable for me!” he quips. “To test my jokes on a Tamil crowd, I would come to Chennai once in two weeks for an open mic and get back.”
Launched in August 2017, 36 Vayadhiniley is a laugh riot that brings to light the sheer magnanimity of changes that have occurred in our lives — from movies, entertainment, sports etc, it is weaved with personal stories and jokes. Performed over 10 shows in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Puducherry, it was also staged in Dubai last month. “The content is relatable to all Tamilians, even those out of the country,” he says, adding that Dubai was one of his best shows. He will be going to Pune and Mumbai next.
Sustaining himself in the standup-comedy field for around a decade is not easy. What is his secret? “Being comfortable in my skin is essential for the audience to feel comfortable enough to laugh. That’s why I always keep my comedy clean! Anyone from age six to over 100 can watch my shows!” he says. “I don’t do vulgarity and A-jokes. So it’s an easy family entertainment, as I see a lot of senior citizens attend my Tamil show.”
When & Where
‘36 Vayadhiniley’, a Tamil standup special by Praveen Kumar, that debuted last year, will be hosted by the Chennai Art Theatre on Jan 6, at Alliance Française of Madras. Two shows —5 pm & 7.30 pm. Tickets available on bookmyshow
Quick Five
● Favourite comedian: Goundamani. His style in Bramma and Nadigan is ultimate comedy!
● Your best show: An intimate show with 20 people, for 36 Vayadhiniley
● Your worst show: A corporate show in 2009. It was a post-lunch show. There was silence for the first 5 minutes, and people started clapping me off the stage in the middle! It ended with one of the members showing me WhatsApp jokes, coaching me on how to joke.
● Fan’s comment: People say ‘It’s been so long since I laughed
this hard’
● Other hobbies: Watching tech videos on YouTube