Laugh hard! Stand-up comics in local tongue flourishing in Chennai
A comic known for his observational humour, Rajat Chauhan explores common aspects of life, including his childhood experiences, the country’s education system, and his seven years in the corporate world.
Rajat Chauhan
CHENNAI: Making people laugh from the heart is no easy feat, and that’s precisely what stand-up comedians strive to achieve by exploring various genres of humour. Recently, Delhi-based comedian Rajat Chauhan brought his comedic flair to Phoenix Palladium, delighting audiences with his wit. An engineer by profession, Rajat left his corporate job to pursue his passion for comedy. “It was a blessing in disguise. Without financial burdens like EMIs, I was able to resign and dive into the world of humour. At that time, the field was less crowded, allowing me to stand out and capture attention,” says Rajat.
A comic known for his observational humour, Rajat Chauhan explores common aspects of life, including his childhood experiences, the country’s education system, and his seven years in the corporate world. “Over time, my concepts have evolved,” he explains. “For instance, I used to incorporate scenes from metro travel into my performances. Then, as I switched to travelling by bike and car, my jokes shifted to focus on the traffic in New Delhi and how commuters react. This is my third visit to Chennai, and I’ve noticed that the stand-up comedy scene here is growing, with regional comedy flourishing. Similarly, languages like Marathi and Odiya are also developing in their respective states.”
We often see younger performers on stage, with fewer senior citizens taking the mic. When asked about this difference, Rajat explains, “Stand-up comedy is not limited to just youngsters. The concepts and dynamics evolve with age. As people grow older, they accumulate more experiences to draw from for comedy. Ultimately, stand-up is about humorously sharing experiences.”
Rajat affirms that the Indian stand-up comedy scene shouldn’t be compared to the global level. “The reason is that stand-ups made their entry to the global market in the 1970s. And the audience also evolved with the development of the art. Internationally, people cover various topics like education, medicine, politics and many more. But in India, we are handling the basic topics and it will take some time for us to reach that stage. We will surely do,” he remarks.
“An advantage of the Indian market is that we have diverse topics because of the diversity in the population,” concludes the stand-up comedian.