You’ve probably seen him on your Instagram feed with his delivery slightly reminiscent of a teacher, breaking down seemingly unserious topics that are likely to start endless debates. From how North Indians and South Indians communicate to picking between living in Bengaluru or Chennai, comedian Navin Kumar finds the humour and absurdity in life through a medium we last saw in our high school graph notebooks – quadrants. Trying to make sense of why the format has clicked with viewers, Kumar explains, “When these videos kept resonating with people, I realised it’s because they break down things in a fundamental way, allowing people to zoom out, look at problems rationally and laugh along the way. The modern world is constantly bombarding us with choices and the recurring theme is to laugh at the futility of these choices.” Now, the comedian is set to take the stage this Sunday with ‘Quadrant Life Crisis’, elevating this format to the next level.
While his reels may be focused on everyday problems and broadly relatable topics, the show digs deeper into his personal experiences. Kumar says, “My previous shows were just compilations of jokes but this one is personal in a way because I talk about my life right now – my problems as a guy in my 30s, being newly married, the aftermath of contemplating my problems, etc. I tried to make sense of the chaos in my own life through the structure of quadrants.”
He has adapted his classic white board for the stage too, swapping it with a power point presentation instead. A solo show in London late last year and getting the opportunity to see comedians at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival in between his own sets there, inspired him to experiment. “In my London show, it felt like the audience was expecting to see my signature quadrants so that’s when I started thinking about how I can integrate them into my regular standup. In Edinburgh, I saw people really breaking the conventional standup format, especially Lou Wall’s show where she incorporated both presentations and musical theatre elements. It helped me think out of the box,” he reveals.
Having been a standup comedian doing the open mic and comedy club circuit since 2015, Kumar was initially resistant to the idea of making the comedy reels that have given him the following he has now. “I was into more traditional comedy and was a comedy purist. But over the last year and a half, I’ve really opened up my idea of what it is to be a comedian, I look at it more holistically now. The idea is to entertain people while fulfilling yourself creatively, so whatever ways I can do it, I’m going to keep doing it,” he says, adding that his life has changed since his reels gained popularity. “Ultimately, what any comedian wants is to get more people to experience their show live,” he signs off.
(Quadrant Life Crisis is set to take place at The Underground Comedy Club, Koramangala, at 6pm on April 12. Tickets on bookmyshow.com at ₹399)