When stand-up comic Bhargav Ramakrishnan aka Baggy, moved out of his home for the first time in his life, he successfully managed to lock himself up in his new apartment (which he shared with a friend), for two days straight.

Turning 30, is indeed a milestone: but for Baggy, turning 30, was defined by a string of hilarious incidents that ended up shaping his view on life. His first Amazon special, slated for release tomorrow (April 24) is a coming-of-age reflection of all such events. Titled Kung Fu Bonda, the show discusses everything from being called an uncle for the first time to parents, marriage and sex.

In the one-minute trailer that was released a couple of days ago, he talks of the different stages of reaction that one has, when called an ‘uncle’ by a kid for the first time — peppered with interludes in colloquial Tamil. In a suit paired with a dhoti, he moves effortlessly from denial, anger, depression to finally, acceptance: “Yes kanna! Tell me, what can I do for you?”

Even though the show premiered in 2017, and toured in 2018, it’s the first time that Kung Fu Bonda is reaching a streaming platform. After touring for almost a year-and-a-half across India and Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Baggy decided that it was time to put Kung Fu Bonda behind. And the last show, performed in Chennai’s Museum Theatre, was recorded.

Relatable tales

“I was at a point in my life where a bunch of changes happened back-to-back,” says the Chennai-based comic who is also known in improv theatre circles. “This experience is not unique to me; everyone goes through these changes in life. It’s the feeling that you realise when you enter a new phase in your life and you are suddenly woken up to the impact of all the decisions that you made when you were younger, ” he continues, hoping that everyone finds something that they connect with.

But do specific jokes, interludes in Tamil and the typical Chennai accent, restrict the set’s scope? “It’s a double-edged sword. Having said that, stand up is very centred around the performer. If I am not myself and try to be someone else on stage for the sake of catering to a larger audience, it will never work,” says the comic. Ninety per cent of the show is in English, he confirms.

Baggy says that he is more of a performer than a writer — and so, whenever he is inspired, though he notes the idea down, he works with that idea spontaneously on stage.

“I also have a WhatsApp group with only myself in it. So, whenever I say something funny, I send a voice note in the group,” he chuckles.

Even recording Kung Fu Bonda in Museum Theatre was an experience in itself. One element of the set was incomplete even as the audience started trickling in. Since the show was being recorded, he couldn’t start without the complete set. “There was a good 35-40 minutes of performance which was completely improvised, before I started Kung Fu Bonda. There was this particular gentleman who was extremely irritated that we started late — the conversation began from there. It was a lot of fun and is a memory that will stay with me,” concludes Baggy.

Kung Fu Bonda streams on Amazon Prime Video