Commander Manik Mehta has flown fighter jets, but also gets his thrills from making people laugh. The Naval officer plays an active role in making Vizag Komedians, a city-based comedy club a successful hub of laughter.
“I think I’m a funny guy but it took me a while before I got funny on stage,” admits Manik. But he has been working on it for four years now, he says. He has come a long way from merely being an audience at standup comedy shows to being the go-to guy in the city if you are looking for laughs.
Stage time
“After watching the live show of Azeem Banatwalla, a member East India Comedy (a Mumbai-based comedy group) in Bengaluru, I realised I would like to do something like that.”
So he joined Vizag Komedians, a city-based group for comedians, and jokes, that in the proccess of becoming a comedian, he has lost many friends! “When they came to watch me perform, more often than not, it would be their first and last time,” he laughs.
No funny business
“I still remember my first open mic performance. I related a series of random incidents which I thought were funny.” His audience did not necessarily think so and that’s when he realised being funny on stage was a different ball game altogether.
Hard work, taking note of audience-feedback and listening to recordings of himself improved his performance he says. “In one of my audio clips, I heard no one laughing.” Soon he began to record all his shows. This helped him critique and assess himself and improve.“Today when I perform I’m in control of my act. I even decide the little details like when to pause and I always select my words carefully.”
In 2017, Manik got his first major opportunity to perform his five-minute set alongside well-known comedians Kanan Gill and Azeem Banatwalla at The Park, Beach Road. He feels places like The Park, Makeba Cafe, The Gallery Pages The Book Shop and Gluttons Garage have played a critical role by giving space for comedians to perform.
Manik now performs a lot more in public and in Naval gatherings. “It’s a different feeling when I’m performing at the official events because it feels like I’m performing in front of an extended family,” he says.
Manik attributes his organisational skills to his years in the Navy. “In the navy, each event is conducted with full attention to detail. After all, it’s a matter of pride for the respective unit.” He does the same with Vizag Komedians and hopes that will keep the laughs coming in.
Manik’s comedy performances as a naval officer
Tri-Services Conference Entertainment Programme, July 2015
DEGA Silver Jubilee, October 2016
Patron’s Cup Awards Night, March 2017
Navy Night, Andaman & Nicobar Command, December 2017
Patron's Cup Awards Night, March 2018
INS Garuda 66th Anniversary, May 2018
INAS 551, The Phantoms 57th Anniversary Reunion, September 2018