Attend this comedy show in Andheri that explores India's linguistic diversity to make you laugh

Manoj Verma in performance; Rakshita Manglani; CV Narayan and Ashar Khan

An angry man wielding a thick, heavy stick storms onto the stage. The collar of his shirt is popped up, and the sleeves rolled back in true 1990s Bollywood-thug-style. At most stand-up comedy venues in the city, this would mean the night is unfortunately, going to come to a premature end. If you're at comedian Manoj Verma's shows, however, the party has just begun. The comedian, who grew up in Haryana's Bhiwani district likes to bring a bit of his hometown on stage with him. We can't (and would rather not) complain.

"Artistes like Manoj are deeply connected to their roots. Their mannerisms, writing and delivery are all inimitable. These voices are often relegated to smaller shows in Mumbai where we're obsessed with Hinglish comedy," shares social activist and host Rakshita Manglani, who is organising Zubaan Sambhal ke, a multilingual comedy showcase this weekend. For Manglani, the convergence of Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Haryanvi and Tamil comedians is part of a larger vision to acknowledge India's diverse linguistic heritage, including her own Sindhi origins. ‘Dadho sutho!', Manglani suggests, would be the right term to applaud an initiative like this.

While Verma's swagger is unmissable on stage now, things weren't the same when he moved to Mumbai in 2022. "Haryanvi is my mother tongue. Naturally, I think and form ideas in the language. When I moved to Mumbai, I realised that the jokes my friends laughed their guts out on wouldn't work here. I now translate my thoughts to Hindi and retain traces of Haryanvi to better suit the room," he shares. We get a peek into Verma's favourite Haryanvi joke, "I get on stage and introduce myself as Manoj Verma, a man from Haryana who is soon getting married. The audience waits for the punchline." Those aware of the state's concerningly dipping sex ratio, he says, would have found the punchline in the premise.

The Haryana-born comedian will be joined by CV Narayan, a Bengaluru-based Tamil comedian who calls himself an ‘extreme extrovert'. "The South loves family humour. Jokes about South Indian households and their eccentricities are a sure-fire way to get things going in cities like Chennai and Bengaluru," he shares, adding that although some audience members this weekend might not understand the language, they'll catch on to the universality of the sentiment and have a good laugh. "Another no-brainer is the never-ending banter between the Southern and the Northern states," he reveals, adding that his set will avenge the caricaturish representation of South Indians in the North with his own take on North Indian mannerisms.

Finding himself in the thick of these punchlines is Ashar Khan, the co-host for the night. His new performance space in the suburb is diving head first into the deep end with the experimental show. "We built the studio with the aim to promote performance arts not only among the well-connected troupes and artistes, but those who are still finding their footing in the city. There are a few artistes in the city who are trying to make it big while still holding on to their roots. We owe them this much," he signs off.

ON November 8; 7 pm
AT Showtime Studio,
Moongipa Arcade, DN Nagar, Andheri West.
LOG ON TO insider.in
ENTRY Rs 200