HYDERABAD: If one is allowed to address stand-up comics as maestros, Sorabh Pant will be the foremost. The much sought-after comedian, who has also released the book Vote For Pant last week, is on a multi-city tour with his Worst Show Ever at Heart Cup Coffee this weekend. We caught up with the comedian on the sidelines of the show to know more about performing in the city, the idea behind the show and turning into an author.
How does it feel to perform in Hyderabad again and again?
I love coming to Hyderabad. I think there are like 4-5 cities where I regularly do shows, and Hyderabad is one of them. Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune are the cities I love travelling to. The last time I was here, someone introduced me to the mandi, and I thought it was the greatest thing I’ve had in my life. I won’t say greatest but top 11 or 12 maybe? I love the cuisine and I love the people too.
What’s the idea behind naming this tour The Worst Show Ever?
I thought I’ll do a show which is relevant and about things that matter in the world but then I realised I don’t know as much as I thought about the world in general. Also, I realised everyone’s been talking about that stuff so I should do something different. It is just a silly fun show which is a sort of peak escapism and ignoring the world a little bit. But I keep surfacing back into it. Also, the idea behind The Worst Show Ever is it is about the worst shows I’ve ever done.
Is it a relief to come out and perform post-pandemic?
It’s an absolute joy. The audience size doesn’t matter. Sometimes you’ll have shows that are a little tougher either because of the venue or the audience is not feeling it. Fortunately, I’ve done about 30 shows of this show and I don’t think it’s happened more than twice and both times it was for reasons beyond my control. Now I have newfound gratitude for being able to get on stage and perform.
With most stand-up artistes coming under scrutiny these days, do you feel under pressure to compromise your acts on stage? In terms of taking potshots at celebrities or the barbs?
It’s a tough question to answer. You try to be careful but yeah what can you do? Eventually, you still have to make jokes and be funny.
Do you prepare an A to Z script before you go on stage or are there a lot of impromptu jokes you come up with?
I did with earlier shows but I’m trying to keep it loose for this show because I feel that when I write it down it becomes too verbose. I know the beginning, and middle sometimes I don’t know the end but I find the end on stage.
Is turning into an author an organic evolution?
Writing a book is something I always wanted to do. I wrote my first book when I was 24 and now my fourth book is out which is a non-fiction. I was able to muster with the chaos around me because I need to be honest when I say that I don’t think the kind of books I write will make me a crazy amount of money but yeah I’ve always wanted to be an author. I propositioned the idea for this book probably amid the pandemic and I don’t think they even batted an eye. They just came out there and said yeah let’s do it. Because of the pandemic, the publishing was getting delayed so the book has been in the works for probably a year and a half it was ready a while back but there was no publishing at the time. I think amid the pandemic the only books that were getting published were those of really famous people and politicians. I am neither of them which might be the reason I gave this title.
What plans do you have for the future?
Currently, I’m working on touring this special which is The Worst Show Ever and am trying to make sure I do at least 100 shows before I even contemplate recording it for platforms. I think it’ll come out on Youtube only because I find that it’s a good place to put out stuff now. Apart from that, I’ve brought back Wake Up with Sorabh which is a podcast series I started during the pandemic and we’re doing weekly shows. I think a lot of time in my day is spent trying to figure out how I can play cricket with my son and daughter for an hour a day. That’s my plan right now.Ace comedian Sorabh Pant opens up to CE about his love for mandi, penning a book and more