The secret to remaining relevant is to keep evolving,” says comedian Amit Tandon, ahead of his performance of his new special, ‘Halwa’, in the city today. One among the first Indian comedians to get their start in India’s budding stand up scene back in 2010, the standup star has taken his brand of ‘clean comedy’, often poking fun at the ridiculousness of daily life and his relationships to newer platforms – seeing success with millions of views on his YouTube sets and Instagram reels, and touring all over the world. “I try to experiment with what I am doing which keeps it fresh. I set a target for myself that I have to do something new with each special I write. YouTube is still one of my favourite mediums, because longform standup comedy – that’s how we actually want people to consume it. The shorter forms came later and are necessary to succeed today but I don’t try to write comedy for reels,” reflects Tandon.
Experimenting while staying true to himself, Tandon’s ‘Halwa’ revisits a topic he has many times before – his relationship with his spouse. But as any relationship that evolves, it has continued to provide new fodder for his comedy. With a focus as personal as this, for Tandon, the writing process allows an opportunity for reflection and an outlet for daily frustrations. “At first, the focus is not to be funny but to bring out an insight. Then, as I take it on stage, I try to make it funnier,” he says, explaining that this catharsis is something the audience shares in. “When you are doing comedy sharing intimate stuff, often, people laugh because that’s exactly what’s happening with them but they’ve not been able to talk about it with anybody else,” he says.
As a veteran, Tandon also observes a shift in standup comedy and its audiences, that perhaps accounts for why his work continues to resonate. “Across India, the audience expects more from you now. They might have laughed at basic jokes years ago but they’ve grown up and want to see something more intelligent than just slapstick. They know what a well crafted joke is and appreciate it,” he says, adding, “Bengaluru has the best audience in India right now – they’re open to standup and are better listeners. They’ll give you the time and patience to tell a story before you come to a point.”
With recent controversies surrounding Ranveer Allahbadia and Kunal Kamra who were subject to widespread outrage over badly received jokes, many have raised concerns about the future of the scene but Tandon considers them growing pains that will change as audiences mature, “It’s another blip. I don’t think that the entire scene is in danger because of whatever has happened recently. With time, people’s opinions will change and they will understand this art form better. With movies, people know clearly that if one faces backlash, it doesn’t mean that you stop exhibiting or watching all movies. They’ve got to realise that there are different voices – some will agree with you, some won’t. Some, you can watch with your family. Some, you have to watch alone.”