Meet the ‘relatable’ stand-up comedian Ashwin Srinivas

CHENNAI: A ‘little awkward’ and an ‘overthinker,’ Ashwin Srinivas is a stand-up comedian, who jokes about his life, relationships, jobs and everything relatable. An IT professional by day, a stand-up comedian at night, Ashwin started off with performing in a room full of just a couple of audiences.

“From Chennai, I relocated to Bengaluru about eight years back, to explore the growing market for stand-up comedy, as it was unlikely for me to get opportunities here. I started out as an audience for budding comedians and made my way through observing and learning about the art closely,” says Ashwin recalling his initial fear of performing on stage in front of a huge crowd.

It was a heartbreak that gave the comedian time to channelise his energy into something productive, and he chose to make people laugh.

“I ventured into this field, with my IT profession as a backup, as one can only sustain here if one creates a business for themselves, where people would want to come and listen to you,” explains the humourist.

Stand-up comedy has been an artform, which has evolved over time into becoming regional centric, according to Ashwin Srinivas.

“People from Chennai would connect and relate more to a comedian, who scripts his jokes in Tamil. The artform, which is still being explored, is predominantly growing because of the relatability, which films at times cannot touch upon. People either watch comedy as a genre in films, which at times fails to connect with the masses. Now they have an option to hear relatable content put out to them in a humorous way through stand-ups,” he highlights.

The tummler emphasises his love for well-renowned Indian stand-up comedian, actor and YouTuber, Kanan Gill, stating, “I admire his courage, and the way he travels around the world to make people laugh without any cultural or regional barrier. He knows the pulse of people and what will bring a smile to their faces, which I admire.”

Ashwin finds it difficult to answer when asked about the process of how an idea emerges first, later converting into a joke. “I go on stage with my lines, a joke happens, people laugh, and I return back pondering what made that joke work. When I am preparing my lines, I curate various thoughts, pick the funniest thought, and work over it. Lets say, I get a thought as to what I will be doing after becoming the Prime Minister of India, what comes out of that specific thought is going to be illogical and humorous,” explains the comedian, with a giggle.

Ashwin Srinivas will be performing his gig, Ashwin Srinivas Live, at The ARTery, in Royapettah, Chennai today. The stand-up comedian will have an hour-long performance, where he will perform his gig on relationships, parenting, and many more, which he calls a ‘little edgy.’