CHENNAI: Stand-up comic Jeeveshu Ahluwalia is back in the city with his new concept: Uncommon Sense. Taking a leaf from the pandemic year, Ahluwalia’s comedy sprawl will include topics on weight loss, lack of household help, and other musings from the lockdown, and the lack of common sense among people.
“The Chennai audience is well-read and well-travelled. This makes it easier for them to accept and appreciate a variety of art,” says the actor-cum-writer, who has made it a practice to understand the local pulse from the short walks that he takes before his performance in any city. “Though my script is predominant with Punjabi flavours, I absorb potential stuff from my observations of the city’s food, people’s behaviour and conversations around me. Such details always find a place in my shows,” he shares.
Popular for his anecdotal performances, Jeeveshu takes inspiration from his mother and family. “My family is quick-witted. There is banter in the house all the time and my family members readily consume and appreciate good humour. So, I naturally have a funny bone. I am thankful for being a Punjabi, which is one of the reasons for me becoming a comic,” says Jeeveshu, crediting his over-optimistic mother for being a source for his content.
Having groomed himself on different fronts during the lockdown, the man in his 40s has managed to get rid of diabetes and become 42 kilos lighter. To train his grey cells, he has been watching movies, reading books and experimenting with his scripts for the online audience. “Initially, the pandemic affected my finances as I could not get shows. Then, I began trying new content for consumers on digital media,“ he says.
At a time when the governments and a section of people are taking exception to content produced by some stand-up comics, Jeeveshu says he is happy in spreading happiness without touching upon controversial topics such as sex, politics, caste, and politics. For, there are several other things to talk about, he says. “I am not going to tell if people are doing right or wrong. I am not here to pass judgements. Besides, there are rules that we have to abide by in countries or venues where the shows are scheduled,” he emphasises.
Catch the comic show — Uncommon Sense — at Phoenix MarketCity at 7.30 pm on February 25.