Five comedians gather courage to take on their mega metropolitan cousin in a laughter fest
Hijas Moosa, organiser and stand-up comic (right) Mandar Bhide
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Looks like Pune has had enough of being laughed at. Five comedians from Mumbai’s neighbouring town have now geared up to take on the metropolis and its “constant stream of jokes at Pune’s expense”. Mandar Bhide, Pushkar Bendre, Sahil Horane, Akash Gaurav Singh and Hijas Moosa (also the organiser) will be presenting a stand-up act, aptly titled “Pune Attacks Mumbai”.
The recently held Chalta Hai Comedy Maharashtra Derby, an event that pitted Mumbai comedians against their Pune counterparts, saw the rivalry intensify on the stand-up stage. Fuelled by its success, these Pune comedians decided to do their own show.
Speaking of the show, Sahil Horane, says, “There has always been this rivalry between Mumbai and Pune, of course not as intense as that between Mumbai and Delhi, but it’s there. While we take digs at Mumbai’s lack of cleanliness and open spaces and the chaos, we are told how tiny Pune is and how we don’t have a Queen’s Necklace, among hundreds of other things. So this is an attempt to tell Pune’s side of the story. How a Punekar sees Mumbai — that has not been told before.” What has been the worst snub, we ask Sahil. “You don’t know what real bhel puri is since you don’t have a Chowpatty,” he replies with a laugh.
He also mentions how Pune has a standup style that’s distinctly different from Mumbai. “Mumbai comedians usually engage in long format jokes and storytelling. Our routines are more snappy and short,” Sahil says. The larger purpose of the show, however, is to establish the Pune comedy scene. “The Pune standup scene has grown immensely over the last year. While comedians from other cities take their acts to Pune, it never happens the other way round. Why should the foundation of the Maharashtra stand-up scene be Mumbai alone, when there is talent elsewhere too? We are taking baby steps to change that,” says Akash, who will be performing with Sahil.
Interestingly, the two of them have also started Pune’s first comedy collective, Standup Fever. Sahil, who works as an IT professional, says, “Last year, I took part in an open mic night at Canvas Laugh Club and the response was good. It was instrumental in my taking this up in a bigger way.”
When: October 27, 9.30 pm onwards
Where: 14 Sauce Story, 18, Aram Nagar, Versova, Andheri (West)
Entry: 250
Call: 43339994
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