Naveen Richard: People are not familiar with sketch comedy

Comedian Naveen Richard on bringing the art form in the spotlight with his latest show and comparisons with its popular cousin, stand-up

He has left you in splits with his comic timing in Better Life Foundation and Star Boyz. One of the leading faces of sketch comedy in India, Naveen Richard is back with a new offering — Go Straight, Take Left on Amazon Prime. mid-day catches up with Richard as he talks about juggling various forms of comedy.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Do you think sketch comedy is still in a nascent stage in India?
I always took it for granted that everyone knew about sketch comedy and had probably done it in college. It was only when we did it on Comicstaan [Amazon Prime Video show] that we realised that many from the audience didn't know about the concept. People were blown away by the idea. We've been touring with this sketch for two years, and the response has been great. People are familiar with stand-up, but sketch comedy is relatively new.

Having explored sketch and stand-up comedy, do you think the former is more difficult?
Stand-up comedy has its own share of risks. But the disadvantage with sketch is that you don't have the fourth wall. If it is not going well, you cannot call it out in the middle of the act; you have to see it through the end. So, it is riskier than stand-up, in that aspect. Technical snags — be it lighting gone wrong, or confusion on stage — can also lead to the failure of a sketch. However, I think it's less scary than stand-up because you are not alone on stage. Even if the audience isn't laughing, you know you've made your partner laugh. We have each other's back.

What are the challenges you faced while doing this seven-sketch piece?
When you are doing seven sketches in an hour, the difficulty lies in the costume change between every sketch. We work with a new team every time we go to a different city. Before the act, we barely get half an hour to train the crew. In theatre, they rehearse for months with lights and costumes before going on stage, but we don't have that luxury. As far as characterisation is concerned, Sumukhi [Suresh, collaborator] and I were able to take to our characters quickly. You don't get the time to think about the character before going on stage. In such a case, you adapt as you go along.

Considering your frequent collaborations, was bringing Sumukhi Suresh on board a natural transition?
I guess so. I had met her at an improv workshop with Kaneez [Surka] for the first time. When she asked me to be part of one of her sketches, we realised that we have something in common. We first respected each other as good actors, the friendship grew much later. We are both driven, yet remain rooted to our small-town background, so we connect on that level. Having done several shows over the years, we are now good friends too.

Finally, what's in the pipeline?
It has been a while since I did stand-up acts. So, I am prepping for that.

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