His uncanny mimicry of US President Donald Trump on India’s Got Latent Season 2 on Netflix took the internet by storm, earning praise from host Samay Raina and judges Alia Bhatt and Sharvari. Now, Hyderabad-based comedian Avinash Agarwal is bringing his Trump character back to the city with his special show Namaste Trump on September 26 at district150. In an interaction with CE, Avinash talks about the show, his India’s Got Latent experience and finding his voice as a comedian.
Excerpts
Tell us about the show Namaste Trump.
Namaste Trump builds on the character of Trump that people saw on Latent. Because the character went viral, we wanted to give people a little more of Trump, the Trump madness and, of course, the man behind Trump. We will give people the Trump experience through a lot of impromptu interactions, after which I will do some sets as myself. It is a holistic show about Trump, myself and my entire journey.
What made you choose Trump as your comic lead on stage?
It might sound clichéd, but I did not choose Trump; Trump chose me. I have been doing different characters over the years. I had a shaadi-themed show called Aur Karo Shaadi, where I would go on stage as a dulha, and another called Being Baba, where I dressed up as a spiritual guru. The Trump character happened because I was making reels and it blew up. Then I took it to Latent, where it worked really well. I am also working on building new characters, so hopefully we will see some new ones as we go along.
What inspired you about Trump?
Nothing inspired me about Trump. But as a comedian and an artist, it is fun to explore the character because his unfiltered and uncouth nature works for a lot of people. I believe Trump is more of an entertainer than a politician, so that is how I approach the character. I stay away from politics because this is not a political show; it is an entertainment show. I do the sets, jokes and interactions from Trump’s point of view as an entertainer.
How was your experience on India’s Got Latent?
Latent was quite an amazing experience. I had not considered going on the show until I got a comment on one of my Trump reels saying, ‘Bro, you are so talented, you should go on Latent.’ I also tell the whole story of how that happened during the show. The episode I was part of was the first episode, so it lived up to the hype. There was so much build-up around it and the atmosphere was electric. Considering it was Latent, with Samay Raina and all these big names there, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The best part was the impromptu interaction. A lot of it was unplanned, but I wouldn’t say I was unprepared. Even impromptu interactions take a lot of time to develop. You have to get comfortable in the skin of the character and understand how the character would respond in different situations. The way it panned out, everything seemed to be in sync that day. I am very grateful for the whole Latent episode.
What was the best compliment you received from the judges?
The judges gave me a 10 on 10, and getting that from Samay and Ashish Solanki as fellow comedians was huge. But I think the biggest compliment came from Alia Bhatt. After giving me a 10 on 10, she said she was actually feeling intimidated by the character. For such a big actress to say that was a compliment, and I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t approaching it as an act but simply as a comedy piece, so I was really happy with the compliment.
What are the challenges you face as a stand-up comedian?
One of the biggest challenges is finding your voice and refining it over the years, which is part of every comedian’s journey. Thankfully, after 14 years in comedy, I have started to figure out what my voice is. I would say I am just scratching the surface. The Trump character was a big breakthrough and a great validation because now I know that this unfiltered roast format works. That is something I will definitely incorporate into my stand-up. I also do observational humour and mimicry, so I want to keep exploring newer angles and points of view.
How much time do you take to write a set?
It is not really about writing a set and having it ready. It usually takes weeks or months to develop a proper set because every time you write something, you test it to see what works. You retain what works and remove what doesn’t. It is always a work in progress. The best analogy I have heard is that a joke has a life similar to that of a fruit. A fruit has its time for ripening, and it is good to let that joke ripen until the right point and then release it. Otherwise, it will rot.
Who is the next person you would like to mimic?
I mimic other characters as well. I do Farhan Akhtar’s voice and some sketch comedy with my fellow comedians. I am working on a bunch of new ones and hope people will love them as much as they did Trump.
What does comedy mean to you?
For a comedian, comedy is everything. It is literally how your brain is hardwired. Even in the worst situations, there is a voice at the back of your head that is always observing, commenting, noting things down and learning. So, everything is content.
