In a recent stand-up comic play in Mandi House, New Delhi, produced and presented by IIM passed out..
Abijit: I have just completed my Masters from Delhi School of Economics and about to join a company. I started stand-up about 1.5 years ago in college, and since then I am performing in various parties, pubs and bars. And I am liking it.
Maheep: Whatever I said in my performance was true. I am really a writer and I write (laughs). I also write for television and currently I wrote a show called '2G' a political satire, which is soon going to be on air. I say what I am, and I don't try to fool the audience and pretend something else which I am not, in that way audience will not enjoy.
Amit: I am married man of 36 years of age. I am from Delhi and run my own business. I have my own Cafe and recruitment business.
CJ: Why Stand-up?
Abijit: Because it is brilliant. I like it as I love to see audience laughing at my jokes and applauding me. Stand-up sometimes also helps me to vent out my anger, my feeling which I wanted to say but could not said due to social norms. Here I can say anything and thats why I feel relaxed.
Maheep: I had only two options in my life. Either I become a serial killer or a stand-up comedian. Both things are at different extremes of society.
Amit: For me it is an outlet of my certain feelings. After completing college I have not done anything in arts as I was very active in college. Then one day I got up and decided to do this and then I started performing in open Mic competitions in bars and pubs. After doing 8 of these kind of shows I decided to do it more professionally.
CJ: What kind of themes make for good stand-up comedy?
Maheep: Anything that's related to society. People can relate things easily which come from their daily lives. It is the best way to vent out the frustration of a common man in daily life. People do not laugh at us but they laugh on themselves.
Amit: Yes, anything which helps in venting out one's daily frustrations. Anything which people can easily relate with their lives.
CJ: Is using adult language and words necessary in today's
world to make people laugh?
Abijit: No, it is not necessary.
Maheep: It is not necessary to use this kind of language but it is easier to make people laugh on these topics. For example in todays world sex is equal to frustration. If we dont talk about sex then we can't make people vent out their frustration, which is unsaid and not expressed for so long.
Amit: This language gives you more freedom to talk. I also do many clean comedies but speaking this language in these four walls for some adult peoples I think is a best way to keep them connected with myself, but it is really not necessary as I also do clean comedy in my Cafe.
CJ: What is the concept of 'Bar Boys'?
Abijit: My friend Deepak called me to perform under this name. Shoelace Production produced this and I performed for the first time as a 'Bar Boy'.
Maheep: It's just packaging.
Deepak: I saw these guys performing in different bars and pubs and the idea came into my mind to do something different from conventional theater. So I brought them together and gave them a name 'Bar Boys' just like Bar Girls.
CJ: Have you used social media to promote your show?
Maheep: Yes,
Facebook was used very much, and someone even uploaded the video of our yesterday's show. It was helpful for us.
Amit : Yes, I uploaded some of my earlier videos on YouTube and on Facebook. And Facebook gave us maximum promotion.
Regarding their future plans all were quite sure that they will again perform together but when, they are not sure. "I am satisfied with the response we got from the lovely audience and will again plan to do the same," said Abijit Ganguly.
"I have a plan to perform in the coming week but I am not sure that will be Bar Boys or not but for sure I am going to perform something," added Deepak Dhamija. Dhamija who, after passing out from IIM, formed Shoelace Production in 2010, has won many awards, one of them is the award of best script from the world's largest script award festival Short&Sweet in 2010 and 2011 and after performing in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai he is performing a comedy play 'Duffer Diary' and planning to have a play on stand-up comedy.