Kolkata tales now in Pune

Anirban and Vaibhav will help you kick away your Monday blues as they talk about all things Bengali and rip apart their own kind

Stand-up comedy was never a part of the plan for either Anirban Dasgupta or Vaibhav Sethia. It is something that just happened along the way and they are happy that it did. Influenced by the comedy scene in Mumbai and being part of the very first Open Mic night in Kolkata, the young boys bring to stage a perspective on everything Bengali. They are outright hilarious, say things everyone can relate to and, most importantly, their humour is of the intelligent kind.

Performing in Pune for the first time ever, they present The Big Bong Theory and promise to keep you on the edge of your seats, guaranteeing that you will struggle to stop yourself from rolling on the floor with laughter.
 No matter where they are performing, both comedians have made it a point to ensure that their content is as universal and relatable as possible. “It is important to keep everything as close to the original as possible yet allow every single person in the audience, irrespective of where they come from, to understand what we are saying,” says Anirban.

After working with Godrej for about two years he got frustrated with the routine life and decided to quit. Thankfully, he had been doing stand-up for a while so he knew that it was a viable career option. “I was so in love with the art form that it became something that was continuously on my mind and the interest only grew there onwards,” Anirban adds. Now, it is the most random things that spark a thought and from there on the script just keep’s building.

Anirban Dasgupta

Vaibhav, on the other hand, was an architect who once sat through a stand-up performance when he was in Mumbai and kept returning for more. After about two months of being a part of the stand-up scene, Vaibhav along with another friend co-founded Comedy 5. “The Kolkata comic scene is still growing. It is not as huge as it is in Mumbai but it is active enough to head in the same direction. My only hope is to be able to put it on the comedy map soon,” he shares. The fact that Open Mic nights have gone from being held once a month to five times a week, he is happy that the profession is being accepted.

The friendship between the two comedians dates back to the time when both of them moved to stand-up comedy as a career choice. Their scripts draw inspiration from subtle observations and things that they see around them, especially through the people they meet. Over time, their material has evolved and gone from being general to more specific and refined. Whenever it comes to stand-up, the intention behind the act is most important, they declare.
 When: June 6, 9 pm onwards
 Where: Independence Brewing Company, Mundhwa Road

salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

Originally published on The Golden Sparrow