Once upon a time, specifically a month ago, an open mic event in Chennai brought four men together. Although Suraj Sethu, Ashwin Kumar, Aamer Peeran and Deepu Dilipan worked in different professions (copywriter, life coach, stand up comedian and HR officer respectively), they realised they had one thing in common: All of them loved making people laugh.
Theoretically, keeping people in splits is a dream job, but it isn’t always easy. Especially in a city with limited spaces and opportunities for stand up comedy. So, banding together as ‘Burma Bazaar Conspiracy’ they set out to find a space, and put together a show. This month, they finally make their debut.
“We really need a stand up circuit in our city,” says Suraj who wants more stand up comics to band together, and find audiences to perform to, hoping that “as supply goes up, so will the demand.”
While cities like Mumbai and Bangalore have more avenues for such performances and a larger audience base that enjoys such events, stand up acts happen relatively less often in Chennai drawing only a niche crowd. “When you talk about stand up comedy, it is light hearted, so it draws people. You attract people who are forward thinking and want to try something new,” says Ashwin. “When you say something and people laugh, you get to know what they like and what they find funny,” he says, adding that it’s important to make sure that jokes are tailored for audiences; a challenge here after having performed largely for a foreign audience.
“We’ve got very different styles,” says Suraj about Burma Bazaar Conspiracy and that’s easy to believe because Ashwin, having spent most of his life abroad tends to use a different accent for each joke he makes while Suraj is a rookie comedian who makes all his jokes in the same accent that betrays his Kerala connection. As Deepu is from Chennai and Aamer grew up in Saudi Arabia, that makes them an interesting mixed bag, able to draw experiences from all over.
Burma Bazaar Conspiracy performs at Bay 146 at 8 p.m. tonight. Tickets will be priced at Rs. 300 and will be available at the venue. For reservations, call 2811 4700.
