For A Few Laughs More

Standup comedy is moving to regional languages and OTT platforms to expand its reach

- NAINI THAKER

In his career as a radio jockey, Manan Desai had it all: A dream job, the popularity and decent money. Yet he felt something was missing. This was 2010-11, when Russell Peters’s standup comedy videos were growing popular among Indians. In August 2011, at the Offside Lounge in Vadodara, Desai finally decided to try his luck at standup comedy. His first untrained 60-minute act bombed, but Desai realised the missing element from his almost perfect job: Being a ‘performer’.

“There was a dearth of live entertainment in Gujarat. It is a dry state, which is why live entertainment never saw the light of day here. We saw an opportunity in this space,” says Desai. In 2011, he and his wife Vidya decided to set up The Comedy Factory to help formalise Gujarati standup comedy. At the time, there were barely any platforms for standup comedians, the Canvas Laugh Club being one of the few in the country. Even on those platforms, English-speaking comedians like Vir Das, Gursimran Khamba and Rohan Joshi were the ones drawing in the audience.

With The Comedy Factory, the Desais wanted to bring back comedy as an art form in their native language. “I have this love for my language and culture. And I strongly believe that Gujaratis were so busy earning money that we forgot to nurture our arts and culture,” says Desai.

The group, which now has six core members, not only does live shows and YouTube sketches, but also organises live productions across Gujarat and handles other Gujarati standup comedians. It started touring internationally two years ago and has done about 60 shows across the world. And with OTT platforms now gaining steam, The Comedy Factory has turned towards them to expand reach. “With OTT platforms, we already have two shows on the floor and one, a 13-episode series, is at the post-production stage,” says Desai.