Chartered accountancy was not Sonali Thakker’s cup of tea. As she waited for her results, she found a creative outlet in stand-up comedy. Starting off at open mics while working as a freelance writer, the 28-year-old is now a full-time comic. Pursuing a career that was considered “commercial suicide” in her typical Gujarati family, she says that she is the first in her family to be in a creative field. “A comic’s day starts when everyone else’s day ends. It’s a very confusing and different lifestyle, but it’s all worth it to be on stage,” she says.
Bringing her one-hour stand-up special, Almost There, for the first time to Chennai today (and Bengaluru tomorrow), she says the latter is one of her favourite cities to perform in (after Mumbai). Coming up with a one-hour special is a big milestone in any comic’s career. “Since I’ve been in the circuit for a while, people started asking me if my show was ready. And I kept saying that it is ‘almost there’,” she says with a laugh, adding that she will be talking about family, relationships and travelling.
Jokes that count
Thakker has an interesting take on being a woman in the industry. “I feel very special because no man is asked how it feels to be a man in the industry,” she says, deadpan. She had never thought of it as a dynamic until it was pointed out to her. While she feels that the industry itself is indifferent, it is the audience that must change its perception. “If a male comic flops, they are having a bad day. If the same thing happens to a female comic, people go back thinking that all women are not funny.” Yet, she takes this prejudice as a challenge to make herself a better comic. “Laughter is an emotion that you can’t hold back. If someone cracks a funny joke, irrespective of their gender, you will laugh.”
Saying that she is “eternally grateful to Mark Zuckerberg”, Thakker feels that social media has been a saviour for comics. Although she is very active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, surprisingly unlike most of the other comics today, she is not on YouTube. “I prefer live performances because it provides a blank slate for me to perform in front of people I don’t know. I like it when they come without any preconceived notions. If they like my performance, then they experience the joy of discovering a new artist,” she says, describing it as one of those unplanned encounters while travelling, that turn into some of the best experiences. “I have never felt the need to upload anything on YouTube and obviously that leads to a lesser turnout, but I prefer that. These are the people who have come out to watch comedy and not just because they’re a fan,” she added.