Expert-attested guide to cultivate a taste for comedy in Mumbai

It can be bewildering to know where to start when exploring the comedy scene in Mumbai, but Shreemayee Das and Rohan Desai, founders of Grin Revolution, simplify it down to the essentials. Pic/Anurag Ahire

If attending a comedy show in the new year is one of your resolutions, you're in luck. The city has a burgeoning comedy scene that is unveiled when one steps in the interiors of its comedy clubs, performance venues and open mics. But the secret to finding performers you resonate with requires some preliminary knowledge of what kind of humour you are into.

"I used to watch a lot of comedy shows. I was a regular audience member at whatever open mic happened to be ongoing," Shreemayee Das, the co-founder of Grin Revolution, tells us. "A lot of people told me I should also try performing, and while I resisted it for a long time, I eventually gave it a shot." It was after this, she says, that she realised her inclination lay more towards understanding the dynamics of curation - bringing together the right personalities, shaping the flow of the show, and setting the mood for the audience. Rohan Desai, her partner and co-founder says, "We put together shows that we would want to watch, knowing what audiences like us would enjoy."

So how does one cultivate a taste for comedy, we ask? "Check out comedy videos on YouTube, and see what performers you like. It's a good thing to start out with a trial show after you have a familiarity with the performer, so that it's not completely out of context for you," Shreemayee says. But Rohan says live performances are the game-changer. "If you are in a city like ours, which has live comedy, you should go for it. Comedy is an art form that is meant to be consumed live. It's not meant to be watched on a screen, because the energy in the room gets lost in translation. It's that energy which creates many ‘you had to be there' moments."

It's not necessary to enjoy shows with a group of friends and family, they say, because comedy shows are meant to draw the audience together as a unit, creating that banter and back-and-forth between the performer and the viewer. It's a community.

"If you're a family looking to experience live comedy, invest a little more into premium experiences at theatres and auditoriums," Rohan advises. "If you're a working professional or student, a comedy club is a good place to start. And there's always Grin Revolution as well - a lot of what we do is experimental!"

Their shows focus on bringing together comedians who have the chemistry to interact onstage. "If we have two comedians who are performance-driven, for example," Rohan says, "We'll get someone who is more writing-driven." They also line up comedians who are not as well known: names like Sumer More, Namrata Arora, Siddharth Dudeja, and Urjita Wani, for starters. "If we find a comedian we like at a show, we reach out to them and get them on our show," says Shreemayee.

For newcomers who want to try their hand at stand-up, their advice is simple: Have fun onstage and be authentic. "Don't overthink it," is Shreemayee's advice. "Just find an open mic that's happening, sign up, and write a 4-5 minutes piece." Rohan agrees, and adds: "It's an art form, so the way to learn it is to just do it."

Places to hit up for spanking comedy

Habitat
The J Spot
Khar Comedy Club
Grin Revolution

Comedians to watch out for
Sumer More
Namrata Arora
Tarang Hardikar
Siddharth Dudeja
Sonali Thakker
Gaurav Gupta