A twist to comedy: Roasts gain popularity among audience

According to comedian Vikash Paul, Chennai’s comedy circuit has developed in such a manner that comedians now have the space to include sketch comedy, dark comedy shows and roasts alongside their regular stand-up.

“It’s also a way for comedians to try something different. In stand-up, we have time to set up a joke and deliver punchlines, but in this case, we need to ensure everything we say lands,” said comedian Sudharshan Ramamoorthy. Shows like Comicstaan and Comedy Central Roast have popularised the format among the more dedicated stand-up crowd, he added.

Although it is known for having more politically-correct audiences, Paul shares that Chennai crowds do appreciate the break from regular scripted stand-up. “However, our roasts mainly feature local comedians. Roasts are usually based on one popular personality, and so it’s easier for the audience to relate to the jokes. It’s hard to do the same between local comedians, who aren’t very well-known,” he said.

This puts pressure on the comics to ensure that their content is generic enough for casual audiences to understand, thus taking away the scope for nuance. “What this usually means is that we are restricted to making fun of the roastee’s sense of humour or their appearance initially until a rapport is built up,” said Ramamoorthy.

Yet this rising interest must be tapped into properly to allow comedians and audiences to become more familiar to the form, said Paul. “Crowds usually know what they’re signing up for when they come for a roast, and if they can get more acquainted with comedians then it will help generate better content. Comedians, too, can try their hand at roasting, and see if they want to continue down that path and specialise in it,” said Ramamoorthy.