BENGALURU:The minute you bookmark an event to attend, your first question is, "Where is it happening?" But here is a show, where the host wishes to surprise her audience by keeping the location a secret as host Pooja Vijayan puts it.
Stand-up comedy has been gaining popularity in the city with several new comics trying out the open mic. Which is why Vijayan is attempting to differentiate herself and her offering.
The Secret Comedy Room event is the first-of-its-kind in comedy in India and will feature six other comedians in the city. The location of the event will be provided to the audience through email or through WhatsApp. The audience will find out the venue only a day ahead of the show. “I wanted to create a more personalized experience for the audience rather than a commercial space for a closer interaction and with a limited audience of 25-30 people,” Pooja says.A Hint? It could be a rooftop of an apartment, a workspace or a café, she suggests.
Born in Bengaluru, Pooja entered the entertainment industry two-and-half-years ago quite by chance. WA orking as a research analyst in New Delhi, Pooja had attended an open mic and saw her own colleague performing a gig for the first time. “When I saw him getting on stage and making the audience laugh, I thought to myself that I could do it too,” says Pooja, who claims to have a knack to spot funny things.
Pooja has since taken up comedy as a career full-time a year ago and has performed 30-40 shows in Bengaluru alone. She has also performed in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. Her most memorable performance in the city, however, was the lady line-up show which included five female comedians last January in Whitefield. "Being a woman in this industry is difficult as they (men) like to give other opportunities and I end up being left out. Though there are struggles, I see stand-up as a long-term game and am hoping to see where this will take me,” she says.
The show will be held on May 6 at 7 pm. The venue? Somewhere near MG road, Indiranagar or Kalayanagar. For tickets send an email to comedyroomblr@gmail.com or send a Whatsapp message to +918762715670