CHENNAI: Why do people write? There’s a story inside them that they are dying to tell or they want to see the title ‘bestselling author’ against their name. Mine is the latter. This is because I already told my stories on stage where the gratification is not only higher but instant as well.’New Delhi-based stand-up comedian Papa CJ has got his priorities right. It’s evident from the above-mentioned words from his debut memoir, Naked, released earlier this month. CE caught up with Papa CJ during his visit to the city recently.
Life behind the curtains
From the streets of Kolkata to the University of Oxford, the book offers fragments of his life cobbled together from memories. “I believe reading a memoir can help change the way one looks at the world. While my book uses the vehicle of my life, it talks about human experience. I expect people to be able to identify with the emotions and life experiences that I have written about. Once they see the choices I have made and the way I have chosen to process what I have been through, I believe it will offer them the option of a new lens to look at their own lives,” said Papa CJ, who has performed over 2,000 shows in 25 countries. He often engages as a motivational speaker.
The chapters are peppered with instances of growing up in the 80s. Speaking on the generation gap, he said, “My generation not only lived in the analog world but also saw the digital world being born and grow. Therefore, we have the advantage of being able to understand both and communicate with people who belong to both. That being said, as I grow older I’m becoming increasingly like my parents’ generation. I don’t want to learn new technology anymore. I just want some kid to do it for me.”
Papa CJ was the first Indian comedian to be invited to premiere at the prestigious Soho Theatre in London, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Just for Laughs Festival in London, and the Sydney and Perth Comedy festivals in Australia. Under his initiative, The Papa CJ Happiness Project, he performs in support of charitable causes across the world.
Serious biz
“Stand-up is increasingly getting greater recognition as a legitimate profession in our country. Now when I tell people that I’m a comedian they no longer respond with the question ‘Yes, but what do you do for a living?’. Some of the interesting incidents from India include performing in the emergency room of a hospital, getting banned from colleges, running across the tarmac at an airport with security chasing me, performing in hospitals, flirting with an ex-Miss Universe…there are so many that I’ve written about in the book,” said the comedian who believes that stand-up comedy is an outward expression of an inward journey.
Papa CJ prefers doing live stand-up over streaming platforms. He loves the uncertainty of live stand-up, interacting with the audience, getting into something unexpected and instantly turning it into something funny. “I wish people continued to appreciate the stand-up comedy in clubs as opposed to on their screens. The spontaneity and magic of a live gig is impossible to experience when you’re surfing comedy porn. With regards to streaming platforms, I already have a show that is ready for them. The day they approach me with an offer I’m ready to shoot,” he said.
Truth be told
Jokes apart, he balances the content with some of the unaddressed problems and challenges faced by stand-up comedians. “I think the greatest mental health challenge of stand-up comedians is loneliness. Sure we perform in front of many, however, almost everything else we do, we do alone. The upside of being a comedian, however, is that we can mine all the pain in our lives and turn it into humour. Not only can that be cathartic for us but also for our audiences. When they see us laugh at our misfortunes they find it within themselves to do the same with theirs,” he said.
‘Naked’ is available on Amazon at `499.