Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say, and is completely true in the case of Comicstaan. The hunt for the next big name in the Indian stand-up comedy scene started off on a very low-note, where the contestants were amateurs and their jokes hardly elicited any laughs from the audience. But, as and when the show progressed, it just got better and better. The Grand Finale of ‘Comicstaan’ on August 17th saw the top five contestants fight for the top spot and each of their acts were truly the best that they ever gave.
The finale started with all the seven mentors doing a stand-up act for exactly two minutes each. Then, without much further ado, the stage (at the prestigious Royal Opera, Mumbai) was set for the final battle. We have nothing to comment on the final episode, as it was top notch comedy from all the five contestants; it was really difficult to say which one was actually the best. New terms were also discovered in this episode with them using words like Cheekalicious and Co-Ed Bath. The ‘fantastic’ five are also, co-incidentally, our top five picks from Comicstaan too. That is something, isn’t it!!!
Here’s what we loved about them.
Rahul Dua:
The runner-up of Comicstaan and a Delhi munda, his beginning in the show was just about average. But, the way he picked up around the third act was just amazing. From then on, it was only growth for him. His finale act was obviously hilarious. He spoke about having a girlfriend and how taking a bath together in a 2×2 bathroom is not all that romantic as it seems. But, his funniest act has to be where he talks about how he does not have opinions anymore, after watching a couple of news channel and finds solace in cutting Bhindi instead…that was just amazing.
Shankar Chugani:
This guy from Coonoor was consistent right from the beginning, each act surpassing the other. The last episode before the finale though, did not go so well for him and hardly was funny. He made an effort in the Finale too, where he started off on a positive note, but then the jokes fell flat too. But, in spite of all these minor glitches, he still remains one of our favourites. The one act that stands out is the one where he draws parallels between our Indian dance forms and Hip-Hop…that was phenomenal.
Prashashti Singh:
If you need to see what girl-power is, you need to watch her acts. Her ‘lazy’ kind of striking a conversation is truly appealing and she is a cracker of a performer. She was one of the very few contestants who took topics which were out-of-the-box and made the most out of it. For instance, her act in the finale, which was about a letter that her older self has written to her younger self – difficult to perform, but she did it with utmost expertise. But, her best act, according to me, is the one before the finale, where she comes as death. Dark but absolutely hilarious.
Saurav Mehta:
This chubby boy from Kolkata has such a positive outlook and has an eternal smile on his face. All his acts were consistently good and he is one of those contestants who never actually had a bad day. Yes, he is the one who came up with the term Cheekalicious which I have mentioned before, and he has done it time and again. His best act has to be the one where he talks about the Taj Mahal and how UP Government has scrapped it from the state tourism booklet. Thought-provoking, yet slyly comical.
Nishant Suri:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the first instalment of Comicstaan, the guy from Delhi, did not exactly have a dreamy start. His performance peaked only during the end and that really worked for him. His best act, for me, was the one in the finale. Talking about four things that he hates the most, he starts off with how annoying the Bollywood songs are, especially the army songs, since it is not the way it happens at the borders. Another thing he talks about in length is about dancing and how he hates when people bring you to the centre of the circle to dance and then disappear themselves. I do not want to say anything more or else it might ruin the moment for you when you watch it and you definitely should watch it…it was epic!
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