The post TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH THE ROCKING COMIC KARUNESH TALWAR appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>Karunesh’s usual style of delivering punches, his body language and expressions are so good that even if there is nothing funny in what he is saying, the way he says it makes you go ROFL.
Humour Sapiens got into a Tête-à-Tête with the rocking stand-up comic Karunesh Talwar. Get to know him with us.
How was your first stage experience?
10 years ago on 13 June 2011 was the first time I stepped on stage. To my surprise, people laughed at my set. I was stupefied because I was screaming, and people were laughing and wondering as to who’s this angry kid.
Over time, I gained confidence and tried the same jokes, but no one laughed. That’s when I realised, it was because of my nervous energy that people laughed back then.
But yes, first time on stage was a great experience. When I got off stage, I had so much adrenalin and so much energy. I remember, this show was in Bandra, I just got out started walking on the road for kilometres at a stretch. With an excitement of something unexpected happening!
You’ve also been a part of Weird Ass Comedy. How has the journey been?
I started with them in 2012, it’s Vir Das’s company. So, Vir, obviously, Rohan Joshi, Tanmay Bhat, Gursimran Khamba, Ashish Shakya and I were a part of it. Then they started at AIB, and I began collaborating with them.
Do you remember any of your bombing experiences?
Oh yes, I remember many. The most painful bombing experience was the one at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2018. And it is embarrassing to relive it that at this time. So basically what happened was, I was doing 28 shows in the festival, along with 4 other Asian comics. The first 15 shows went really well, we even got a five-star rating, and we all were really excited.
On the 16th day, I decided to perform some new material, which was a terrible decision because I had just written it. I get on stage, and man, you could hear the silence. I’m not sure how to describe it, but sannata sunayi de raha tha! I could see the tears of disappointment in the eyes of audience. One person even heckled me and I didn’t have an answer to that. I got off stage, after somehow managing to get a few laughs – and I get to know that there’s a reviewer in the audience. It was a bad bad day.
I woke up the next day, and things hadn’t gotten any better. As I opened the newspaper, it was a disaster. The whole Melbourne was duly informed that the man named Karunesh Talwar is no go for stand-up comedy. The review was titled – 4 out of 5 comics make the cut. Clearly, I was the fifth comedian who couldn’t please the audience.
But, let me tell you, something good came out of it!
Of course, I was having a row of bad days, but worked really hard on those new jokes and a lot of them made it to my future comedy sets, some of which I have done in India as well.
So, I worked overnight on those jokes and performed them the next day and managed to get a good response. Rest of the festival went very well because of that, and I bagged the opportunity to perform on Australian television too.
I was a real rollercoaster that one month – full of highlights and lowlights back to back.
When you got into comedy, the scene wasn’t developed so much. What challenges did you face back then?
I didn’t get into comedy to earn money. There was no expectation of doing this for a living. I just started doing it because I was very passionate about it – so I thought I am gonna do it, but eventually, I will have to get a job. That was my perspective on it.
I was never looking at it as a source of income, but today I feel very grateful that it’s my livelihood and I have not taken it for granted.
The challenges have not changed. My challenges are what they were when I started off. Things like – this line isn’t as funny, what should be the next line, people laughed at this joke but the other one didn’t get as many laughs, I should find another angle to this story, new material was looking good enough yesterday but crappy today – these don’t change. At any level, these challenges are always the same.
Have you struggled for spots in your early days?
When I started doing comedy, there were hardly 15-20 comics, so getting spots wasn’t that much of a problem. Guess I was lucky. If I had to enter stand-up now, it would have been a tough cookie. As long as you could make someone laugh, you used to get the spots. But now it’s a whole different scene, you have to sell tickets, get people, then make them laugh.
It was comparatively easier to get on stage back then because you were responsible for making people laugh, that’s it.
Experience with annoying audience member or a heckling experience?
There have been many. And there are some, which cannot be told on this platform 
So, there was this one girl – she was drunk and it was her birthday. She kept yelling ‘it’s my birthday’ again and again, and had bugged around four comics who performed before me which derailed their sets. I went on stage, she started again with her ‘it’s my birthday’ anthem. I said, “usually the maturity increases with age, but guess it’s the opposite with you”. Because I said, you are becoming dumber as you getting older – the audience that was equally annoyed with her laughed and applauded at this. It was then her birthday express came to a halt.
Tell us something about your new special ‘Aalas Motaapa Ghabraahat’. We saw the trailer and loved it, especially the bit where you nudge us to confront our parents.
*laughs* Kar dena chahiye confront, definitely!
It’s important to set boundaries with the parents too, show them the real you. The love won’t vanish, you won’t become a bad child if you have a healthy argument with your parents. 
This special is basically on two topics, one, on my relationship with my parents and second, on my relationship with my girlfriend.
Watching this didn’t bode well with both my parents and girlfriend.
I have taken many pot shots at my parents and then I went into a self-depreciation mode.
Watch the Amazon Prime special here!
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]]>The post 5 stand-up comedians that will leave you laughing out loud appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>Gaurav Gupta
Dentist turned stand-up comedian, this man endlessly trolls his family in a way that could blow your mind away. With his middle-class jokes that are so relatable, he tickles your funny bones. One of his stand-up specials: Market Down Hai is coming up on Amazon Prime on May 14. It’s all about funny incidents and anecdotes from family and relatives.
Zakir Khan
The Sakht Launda aka Zakir Khan is one of the best stand-up comedians we ever had. As good as he is with stand-up comedy, he is with poetry and acting. He rose to fame owing to his association with AIB, but his skills didn’t fail to sweep away the hearts of a lot of girls, though he remain ‘sakht’ as we hear.
Anubhav Singh Bassi
Born in a small town, Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Anubhav Bassi has reached the skies. One of the few stand-up comedians with realistic tales and unmatched storytelling skills never cease to make us laugh. Lawyer by qualification, Bassi is a humorist by profession, and certainly the one that can light up anyone’s day.
Vir Das
If you are looking for content which is hilarious and intellectual, Vir Das is your go-to comic. His jokes are deep like the ocean and are deep into the realism of society. You need to sink in each and every joke of his to acknowledge his distinct comedy style. His stand-up specials Vir Das for India, Vir Das: Inside Out and Vir Das: Outside In were massive hits.
Aditi Mittal
One of the founders and co-host of AIB, Aditi is a stand-up comedian, an actor and a writer. She usually jokes about topics that have always been considered taboo. Pretty much vocal about the gender disparity women face, Aditi has subtly created ripples to stop this inequality. We can see Aditi recently in a show called LOL: Hasse to Phasee on Amazon Prime Video and it wouldn’t be wrong to call her an artist who knows how to keep all her audiences happy.
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]]>The post Tête-à-Tête with the ace comic Gaurav Gupta appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>Gaurav Gupta, stand-up comic artist said:
“I am delighted to associate with a global platform like Amazon Prime Video and amuse stand-up enthusiasts all across the world with my comedy special. Thanks to them, a host of comedians have entered the limelight and I too look forward to reaching a larger audience and garner new fans. Everyone wants to watch a show if they know it’s on Amazon Prime Video. That said, “Market Down Hai” is really special for me as it is my first stand up special on Amazon prime video and also as I used my life experiences that are hilarious in nature in the stand-up. I am a Baniya and cracking jokes on the Baniya community never gets old for me. I hope the audience will love “Market Down Hai” as much as they loved my other work of stand up.”
In the trailer, Gaurav Gupta can be seen talking about his hilarious experiences as a parent, husband, son, a Delhiite, and above all, a Baniya! Watch the trailer here:
We got an opportunity to interact with this amazing dentist-comedian prior to the launch of his special ‘Market Down Hai’. Humour Sapiens got into a Tête-à-Tête with the ace comic Gaurav Gupta. Get to know him with us.
Q. How did you get into comedy?
A. I was a dentist and followed a routine. Just like most of us, the need for change and the want to break my monotonous routine led me into comedy in 2015. I took a chance and I’ve been here ever since.
Q. How was your first stage experience?
A. Just one word – Pathetic. I did so bad, I don’t even want to recall or discuss that. 
I had no clue what happens in a stand-up, I just went on stage and did some ‘sansani’ and practically tanked.
Q.Experience with annoying audience member or a heckling experience?
A. Looking at my personality, no one usually heckles me. I look like a ‘biwi-bachhon wala aadmi, jo job se aa raha hoga’. So, no one messes around with me but I have people having a picnic in the midst of my gig – ‘mere show ke beech mein, khaa-pee rahe hote hain’.
I remember one time when I was doing a private show – my baniya act was on and one uncle stood up from the audience, with his stick in tow. Vo boodhe uncle khade ho gaye, and said, “ ek minute bhaisaab, ye bhadkau bhaashan band kijiye”. I tried telling him that it’s comedy, but it fell on deaf ears.
Q. What challenges did you face while starting up?
A. Spots. This was one of the main challenges I faced. When I was starting up in 2015, Delhi had only a few venues to perform. Though comics were a handful, but audience was less as well – you could hardly get 10-12 audience members, and stage time was very less too. There were just about 2 prominent rooms to perform and we had to hustle a lot for getting spots in those. Writing emails to get one spot, and many times our confirmed spots used to get cancelled when any seasoned comic came to perform.
Q. What has been your worst bombing experience?
A. You mean, ‘Sannata’ – total silence? That has happened a lot many times. One that I remember was a corporate show in Goa. I was really excited and happy to do this big show. As I got on stage, I saw all the uncles staring at me and they remained that way all through my act. I used all my energy, spoke at the top of my voice, narrated my best jokes – no one laughed and everything I said fell flat.
When that happens, it breaks your confidence, drains your energy. So, I had a 45 minute spot and I came back to my room after 20 minutes of attempting to make them laugh.
Happens to the best of us. Right?
Q. Tell us something about ‘Market Down Hai’? How is it different from ‘Not Just Baniya’?
A. “Market Down Hai” is my father’s pet peeve. This is what he says all the time. You go to him asking for money, he’s all like, “abhi ruk ja, abhi dekh le, market down hai, dhanda down hai.” And this is what he used to say before the pandemic happened and market actually crashed. But now pandemic has made the situation such that people are able to relate to this line.
How’s it different? You can say, the pizza base is same, toppings have changed and gotten better. The theme is same, naturally, because the genre of any artist doesn’t change. It started with my ‘Baniya’ acts and since then a lot of changes have happened in my life. I have tried to inculcate all that and more in this special.
You can follow Gaurav Gupta on Instagram: @gaurav_comic
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]]>The post Amazon Prime Video’s ‘LOL – Hasee Toh Phasee’ coming up on 30 Apr appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>Last one Laughing (LOL) is a TV show franchise with some of its parts released in Australia and Mexico. It is now making its way to India. The show is a unique format wherein ten comics are put in a room for 6 hours in a battle of wits, jokes and improvisational comedy.
The challenge? To be the last person in the room with a straight face.
Whoever does it wins the grand prize of ₹25 Lakh.
Starring: Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Sunil Grover, Mallika Dua, Kusha Kapila, Gaurav Gera, Cyrus Broacha, Suresh Menon, Aakash Gupta, Aadar Malik, Aditi Mittal and Ankita Shrivastav
Release Date: April 30, 2021 only on Amazon Prime Video
It is a six-episode series, with the last one to crack taking home the prize.
Check out the trailer of LOL – Hasee Toh Phasee here:
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]]>The post Anubhav Bassi’s New Video ‘Roommate’ – Watch Now appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>However, one event was so special that he decided to comprehensively narrate it.
It was a regular day. Two boys from Meerut, Anubhav and Sam, were leading a normal life as friends and roommates. A life filled with fun, booze and cigs.
Until one day.
A regular college day turned into a memory for life, when his roommate’s father lands up unannounced and sees & hears what he shouldn’t have.
‘Roommate’ revives storytelling magic that Bassi holds. The attempt to bring his ‘buddy’ out from the bathroom, the eagerness to see him getting beaten up and the realisation of how mistake is a concept that’s different to each.
And finally having his anxiousness calmed.
Want to know how? Watch Anubhav Bassi’s ‘Roommate’ here:
Here’s what we loved!
- Staying updated like
- Strategising like a friend
- Fading lines between right and wrong
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]]>The post Stand-up comic Punya Arora writes and acts in ‘Masaba Masaba’ appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>What’s fascinating is comedian Punya Arora has written for and acted in the show. She makes an appearance as a stand-up comic, that she is, in the Sonam Nair show. She steers the show by fictionalised re-telling of the stories of the well-known fashion designer and her mother.
Along with Punya Arora, the team of writers include Nandini Gupta, Anupama Ramachandran, and Sonam Nair.
The show is created by Ashvini Yardi and the cast includes Satyadeep Mishra, Neil Bhoopalam, Rytasha Rathore, Mithila Palkar, Tanul Virvani and Gajraj Rao.
‘Masaba Masaba’ is streaming on Netfix! Enjoy the real life mom-daughter duo and peek into their lives in fashion and film.
Don’t forget to root for Punya!
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]]>The post Dolly Singh: Spilling the Sass to 1M Fans appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>Interested in the fashion industry, Dolly interned with iDiva, who offered her the post of a writer on completion of her internship. Therein, she landed an opportunity to multi-task in the iDiva videos as the producer, writer and actor.
Hitting 1M on Instagram 
We have been following Dolly from the times of ‘Spill the Sass’, and witnessing her hard work. On Monday, 24 Aug, Dolly hit a million followers on Instagram. The credit indeed goes to her creativity, commitment to churn new content, and being relatable at all times. She as well has a strong following of 360K people on Youtube.
Lockdown Delight 
We all have been at homes for almost six months now, and the Dalgona days are gone. There’s a constant need of a happy-push to keep us going. That’s where Dolly’s content comes to rescue. She is a delight to watch, and the kind of exciting content she’s been creating certainly keeps us afloat during these times. We are sure, managing everything by herself must have gotten overwhelming for her, but she’s the boss, apple sauce!
The best part about her posts are her self-acceptance messages, and of course her dog, Phoebe. 
Take a look at her comedy videos that make her fans roll with laughter. 
- Raju ki mummy: Dolly’s Raju Ki Mummy avatar took the internet by storm. Inspired by her own mother, this character leaves us in splits every time we watch it. Her honest bon mots with celebs are too good to miss. But poor Raju, always has to bear her wrath – flying chappal received by Raju for not completing his homework.
- This or that: Her iPhone vs Android, Chai vs Coffee, Delhi vs Mumbai videos are so on-point and relatable. Throughout the video, we are rooting for our favourite of the two, hoping for it to come up with the best responses and slay the other. But somehow, she manages to keep both the sides happy.
- Guddi bhabhi: The rich South Delhi daughter in law, Guddi has a perfect response to everything. Her point of views on everyday situations are hilarious and so is the catchphrase ‘Cheeni Kamm hai Chhotu’ in the end.
Take care, cheeni Kam hi rakhna
- Real life situations: Been there, seen that, done that, felt that – this is what her videos make us say. The reactions to quotidian situations she shows in her videos are so apt, it leaves us wondering, “how does she know?” From opening a new toothpaste and relatives asking for marriage plans, to looking for just the right song before a chore, her videos are so accurate. But our favourite has to be ‘Pooping in someone else’s house’.
- Zeenat: This avatar deserves a few extra hearts
. We find ourselves scrolling through her feed every few days, just to see if Zeenat is back with “Salaam! Zeenat, pehchana?”
There’s a lot more interesting content on here Instagram feed. Check out, if you already haven’t!
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]]>The post Memes & more: Working from home & the new normal appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>Just cannot be on video calls the whole day, who’s got time to bath.
When the brain orders, you must comply.
No, brain! You cannot switch yourself off, I’ve got work to do.
Or Bye. And sometimes, neither.
But when we unmute for a meeting.
Office coffee machine benefits: you get coffee that you don’t have to make, it’s free, it’s effortless, you can have it as many times you like, you get to get up from your workstation, you get to chat with people on the way to the coffee machine. Sigh. 
But deep inside, we all have lost what is needed to go to office. We’ve sort of become the fat-tummied working-from-home generation.
Movie halls/theatres don’t seem too happy either.
Another upside to working from home and not having to go out.
But in the end…this is what we all feel.
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]]>The post Shun the gloom, laugh heartily with these top 5 comedy shows appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>What are you waiting for? Get set to lighten up your mood and grin widely.
Amazon Funnies (Amazon Prime Video)
What better than having 14 stand-up comics working together to entertain you and spread some laughter? Amazon added a cherry on top of the cake of festivities with Amazon Funnies – Prime Day Special. It featured a stellar line-up of 14 comedians – Sumit Sourav, Karthik Kumar, Aishwarya Mohanraj, Shreeja Chaturvedi, Nishant Tanwar, Neeti Palta, Sapan Verma, Sumukhi Suresh, Gaurav Kapoor, Urooj Ashfaq, Rahul Subramanian, Nishant Suri, Rahul Dua, and Anubhav Singh Bassi – who performed a 10-minute set every hour. They covered everything from movies to breakups, to gymming and wedding. If you haven’t watched it yet, you are missing the miniature doses of happiness.
Vir Das for India (Netflix)
After the release of two comedy specials on Netflix – Losing It and Abroad Understanding, Vir Das came up with another special ‘Vir Das for India’ early this year. The special talks about his life spent growing up in India, mentioning India’s favourite Parle G, Old Monk and chyawanprash. What’s amazing about this man is, he finds the funny side about everyday things that make us truly Indian. This special is truly special. Why? Because it is filled with some hearty laughs and nostalgia.
Yours Sincerely, Kanan Gill (Netflix)
This show is all about Kanan Gill revisiting his 15-year-old self by the means of a letter that he wrote to himself – the older-Kanan, when he was 15. He goes through the letter which included a list of goals; he evaluates his achievement count and how far he has come in life. The tone Kanan maintains throughout is certainly a poignant one, but his subtle and witty comments rolled into one leaves everyone rolling with laughter.
Comicstaan (Amazon Prime Video)
Comicstaan, both Season 1 and 2 are the reality shows that feature aspiring comics – most of them are widely recognised now. So, Comicstaan showcases the talent of budding comedians who are groomed under the guidance of Kaneez Surka, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Kanan Gill, Kenny Sebastian, Abish Mathew, Sumukhi Suresh, Zakir Khan, Neeti Patla and Urooj Ashfaq. Their comic timing and extra-ordinary sets will leave you splits. What’s more? You also get to these contestants rehearse for their shows, yes, the behind the scenes part, and how they structure a perfect laughter-inducing set.
Pushpavalli (Amazon Prime Video)
Are you looking for a comedy show and not really a stand-up special? Then Pushpavalli, both Season 1 and 2 are your go-to options. Starring Sumukhi Suresh, Pushapavalli is the story of a girl who is obsessed with a boy she has never dated. The show is laced with witty one-liners and relatable situations which will plaster a smile on your face. Sumukhi’s impeccable comic timing steals the show and she delivers a performance to remember. If you haven’t watched it yet, this show could offer you some light-hearted laughter.
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]]>The post 14 laughter gang members await you in the Amazon Funnies – Prime Day Special appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
]]>The line includes Sapan Verma, Urooj Ashfaq, Nishant Tanwar, Anubhav Bassi, Rahul Dua, Nishant Suri, Shreeja Chaturvedi, Rahul Subramanian, Sumukhi Suresh, Neeti Palta, Karthik Kumar, Sumit Saurav, Gaurav Kapoor and Aishwarya Mohanraj.
This incredible bunch is all set to make its viewers roll-on-the-floor laughing and forget the trauma that this pandemic induced upon us.
Amazon Prime Video will be releasing one set each every hour, from 10 am to 11 pm on August 7, 2020. Here’s a sneak peak of the upcoming Amazon Funnies: Prime Day Special
We've never released something this quickly, but that's just how special we want to make your #AmazonPrimeDay! . @aishwaryamrj #GauravKapoor @be_a_bassi @evamkarthik @neetipalta @nishantsuri11 @jokesingh @sumitsourav_official @sumukhisuresh @shreejachaturvedi @therahuldua @uroojashfaq @rahulsubramanic @sapanvThe post 14 laughter gang members await you in the Amazon Funnies – Prime Day Special appeared first on Humour Sapiens.
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