Just Pu-La-ing your leg

Purushottam Laxman, or Pu La, Deshpande may just have been the original Indian stand-up comedian. The Maharashtrian icon is most famously known as a writer and humorist, and way back in the '60s, when stand-up comedy wasn't even a thing in India, he would regale audiences in the hundreds with his witty observations about life and the things we all love and hate about it.

Decades later, Mumbai comedian Mandar Bhide is bringing Deshpande's tongue-in-cheek brand of humour back to the stage with a show inspired by the writer's works. Bhide will perform an hour-long Marathi set in the city on Sunday. He says, "In his day, there was no Amazon or Flipkart. So, to sell his books, he'd organise shows and read out humorous passages. As many as 1,000 to 2,000 people would turn up and, at the end of the show, they'd buy his books. Some would record his shows and many of these can now be enjoyed on YouTube."

Bhide adds, "These days, if you look at comments under comedy videos, people troll us saying, 'Go learn stand-up from Pu La.' We thought, why not really do it? We idolise him too. We can't ever be as good as him, but we started picking up his style. We realised there was a huge demand for this overseas also, as there are so many Maharashtrian expats. So we've performed shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, too."

Bhide's show is based on Deshpande's Mi ani Majha Shatrupaksha, in which the writer relates how he hates people who brag about their new house and renovations. "He had this bit about how his friend dragged him to his house to show off his automatic washing machine - a big deal in those days - and Pu La points to his toilet and asks, 'Do we have to apply pressure there, or is that also automatic?'"

On January 19, 9 pm
At The Matchbox Cowork, 901, Gazdhar Enclave, Andheri West.
Call 70210 87080
Cost Rs 200

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