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Tickle those funny bones

Laugh riot
Last Updated 28 March 2016, 18:48 IST

A comedian, rationalist, health-freak and YouTuber make up the popular standup artiste Ahmed Shariff. He started his journey back in mid 2011 and even today, he doesn’t fail to tickle one’s funny bones and remind somebody that laughter is the best medicine. He was raised in Saudi Arabia and came to India to pursue Engineering.

A former engineer, sales professional and standup comedian, he proudly wears the third hat on his sleeve. He was featured on the show ‘Rising Stars of Comedy’ several times and has performed all over India. Ahmed made his debut in show business at the tender age of 5, when he played the role of a tree in a kindergarten school play and critics described his acting as ‘wooden’.

He is a true blue fan of the arts and has spent time practising interests such as sketching, painting, poetry and even martial arts. From puns, dark humour and morbid material, Ahmed can make anyone laugh and talks to Anushka Sivakumar about his interests.

What do you do when you aren’t performing standup acts?
I work a part time job. I love standup too much to associate it with my life; I am also an English editor.

The first joke you ever learnt/told?
I don’t remember because I have been joking ever since I was young, ever since I learnt to talk, that is.

How do you calm yourself before going on stage?
I don’t need to calm myself. I really want to go on stage. Put me there and I am calm.

Favourite Indian standup comics?
A close tie between Sundeep Rao and Utsav Chakraborty.

What do you do when nobody laughs?
Nothing, I just move on to the next joke. In the beginning, I did have a couple of bad shows where 9 out of 10 jokes bombed. Then about 3 out of 10 would be successful. Slowly, my success rate grew and now all my jokes are a hit.

Three things you would wish for if you were stranded on an island?
Food, clothing and shelter.

A Hollywood actor you associate yourself with.
Clint Eastwood

Funniest thing that happened to you.
February 1, 2011. It was the worst day of my life. A series of unfortunate events came together that day. Now I just look back, analyse the humour that panned out and use it as my standup material.

Say something funny...
Can’t. Have to look at my Twitter feed.

Will you use this interview as a joke later?
Maybe.

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(Published 28 March 2016, 15:58 IST)

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