What happens when comedian Sorabh Pant decides to pen a book? Quite unpredictably we have a read about life, death and afterlife. This is what his book, The Wednesday Soul is all about – exploring life after life. However, he quickly clarifies that he started writing before he got into the world of comedy. "I have been a comedian for three years now. But I started writing my book around five years ago," explains Pant, who was recently in the city to launch his book The Wednesday Soul, which is a first in the trilogy.
The Wednesday Soul
Set in Delhi, this book is about a girl called Nyra Dubey, who dies and the struggle she goes through to fight the afterlife. Purely fictional, my book is a take on life after death. However, it has borrowed a few facts since it talks about commonly-heard concepts like reincarnation and karma. The basic premise of the book is that once you die, you go to the Sun to be judged and based on how you have been through your life, you are categorised under different souls – like Monday Soul, Tuesday Soul, etc. And since Nyra is a Wednesday Soul, I have taken it as the title of my book.
Comedy and Philosophy
My book will fall under the category of a comedy book, but it also has a hint of philosophy, which was unintentional. The Wednesday Soul has been inspired by two books – Autobiography of a Yogi and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but has a completely Indian setting. Also, during the course of my book, the readers will meet various famous people who have been dead.
Desi Comedy
I grew up watching Johny Lever, Kavi Sammelan, so my comedy is quite Indian. I find Raju Shrivastav hilarious. Some of his observations are simply mind-boggling. The kind of comedy I usually do is over-the-top and a few impressions. I want everyone to find something in my show and that's why I cover a plethora of topics – right from communities, to travelling, to relationships. There was this bit which was entirely based on chai. It may sound ridiculous, but it was one of my most appreciated ones. Having said that, I also want to add that the finesse that American comedy is filled with is simply amazing. So, I would categorise my comedy as Indian comedy, with an American way of writing the script.
What's next
This year will keep me on my toes since I have a lot of shows lined up for the rest of 2012. Apart from that I am working on the sequel to The Wednesday Soul, which I plan to release next year.
Hyderabadi experience
I frequent Hyderabad for a lot of corporate shows. I love this city and the people here – they are very warm and encouraging.