Waves of laughgasms

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s surprising when an artiste who’s performed at over 3,000 venues around the world remembers his only show in Kochi. Probably because an unexpected incident—involving a kid tripping over a wire and disrupting the sound system—led to closer interactions with the audience. As we speak to Nitin Mirani before his upcoming show in the city, we realise that this conversational nature of his shows is what won him accolades including the fourth position in the renowned Laugh Factory’s Funniest Person in the World competition in Las Vegas.

“My comedy is more of a dialogue than a monologue. I  love involving my audience in my acts and try to create moments on the spot,” says Nitin Mirani, who believes in ‘glocal’ comedy, as showcased in his opening set for Trevor Noah (The Daily Show) in 2017.

Working the room

Nobody rises to perform at one of the world’s most popular comedy clubs—which has hosted stars like Jim Carrey and Dave Chappelle—in a single day. It’s been nearly a decade since Nitin shifted to doing stand-up from a multitude of  nine-to-five jobs. “Being an expat in Dubai, I have dabbled in every industry including clothes, music, and real estate,” informs the comedian, not forgetting to drop a tinge of his humour, “I do feel that it’s still a 9-5 (job), but now it starts at 9 pm.” Not forgetting the office-going millennials, he designed the idea of Laugh Your Assets Off; a programme which offers tailor-made sets for corporate clients.

On stage, Nitin juggles with his multiple identities giving people  a sneak peek into his personal life. “Being a Sindhi raised in Dubai,  all I do is talk about who I am and how it’s been for me so far, and the people I have met,” says the entertainer, who’s won the Esquire Middle East Comedian Of The Year award. He winds up saying that he’ll talk about Indian habits and parents, and also titbits from his travels to Asia in Kochi.

Rapid Fire
Q. On rich Indians pulling frauds on banks and going on lifelong vacations
A. ICICI….But, I don’t do anything about it.
Q. A farmer uses Sunny Leone’s image to avert ‘bad eye’. What would you use?
A.  If it works for him, I guess I might give it a try too. Because you know what they say “Make HAY while the SUN-ny Shines”.
Q. Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee said Indian women who can’t tie saris should be ashamed. Thoughts?
A.  I’m pretty sure Sabyasachi is regretting his comment but it’s “TOO LATE NOW TO SAY SARI”.