You would think that after a decade of performing and being accorded Asia’s Best Stand-Up Comedian award 2014, Papa CJ would, by now, have all aces up his sleeve. But surprisingly that’s not the case. On the contrary, the last 10 years have shown him how little he knows about stand-up comedy and how much he still has to learn. Humility is a rare virtue, which in CJ’s case has made him grow from a regular comedian to a star performer. Standing up at Akshara Theatre today, the funny guy tells us how excited things get every time he gets a chance to make people laugh. A note of caution. It may not be as exciting for you, if you’re planning to sit in the front row, since it’ll be impossible to duck CJ’s witty one-liners that’ll embarrass you but will nonetheless make you roll in the aisles.
The stage is CJ’s second home. He spends more time on it rehearsing and performing than elsewhere. Of the 2,000-plus shows he’s performed at, some venues we thought deserve a special mention—like the time he put up a show in a plane, then on a train, then in a bus, followed by a boat, in a police station, and as unfathomable as it may sound even in the emergency room of a hospital, holding the head of a girl getting 32 stitches. “I must add, I’ve also performed for somebody at gunpoint,” he says, without divulging too much.
The best time, however, he tells us, wasn’t at any of these venues. “My most memorable memory is of performing at the Playboy Mansion for Hugh Hefner and 50 playmates,” he laughs.
The show today is called Sundays with Papa CJ, and is a build-up to a new show he’s writing, called Papa CJ|Naked. “Unfortunately, I can’t give you details about Naked until I premiere the show in March, but can tell you that the current show brings you tales of school, work, love, sex, passion and more. It’ll make you laugh or cry, or maybe even challenge the way you look at life. If that happens, ladies and gentleman, the evening would be an unforgettable one,” he says.
Date January 18, today; February 8 and March 1 Time 7.30 pm
Venue Akshara Theatre, 11B, Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Availibility www.insider.in, www.PAPACJ.com and at Akshara.