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Not just a bag of jokes

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Life’s a riot Papa CJ loves the Indian audience

Humour is his “rubber sword”. With it he can jab a point without opening a wound. Believing “stand up comedy is the truest form of free expression”, this Oxford graduate threw up a management career. Since then, he has been tr avelling the world with his punch of humour and take on politics. Meet stand-up comedian “Papa CJ”.

Born in Kolkata and educated in Himachal Pradesh, he claims to be a true “desi” who has earned a name as an “Indian Comedian”, in the U.S. and the U.K. Papa CJ is also representing India in Last Comic Standing on NBC. He is said to have impressed audiences at the Comedy Store in London, said to be the Mecca of stand up. In Delhi for the Kingfisher Comedy Night, this “comedy export” performed at The Palms Town and Country Club.

In an intense one-hour performance, Papa CJ never loosens his grip. His humour is a potent mix of political comment and blatant obscenities. His content stretches from acute observations to exaggerated farce. Politicians are fair game. But he spares no one. Not the “handicapped”. Not his parents. And not himself. His alias gives him some anonymity. But sometimes bouncers have to fend away the hecklers and the belligerent, who are upset at his jibes.

Having just performed in Hyderabad, he recounts, “You don’t judge an audience by the applause and the laughter. Instead, you judge them by how silent they are when you pause.” The audience in Hyderabad remained in breathless anticipation when he broke speech. They were won over. And so was he.

But he has had to battle stereotypes. Knowing that he’s a comedian, people randomly ask him to tell a joke! But he emphasises, “I don’t tell jokes. I perform stand-up comedy.” Baffled by people’s requests, he continues, “When you meet a boxer, it’s not like you ask him to punch you around!”

He surrendered a corporate job for the stage. But it hasn’t been an easy transition. He recounts, “I did 250 shows in 10 months. That means I hit the road every day at 2 in the afternoon. I would travel and perform through the night. At first, you get five minutes. Then it slowly moves up to seven, 10 and then immediately to 20 minutes.” He adds, theatrically, “But it’s just such a high. At some level it’s about having power.” The ecstasy of performing lifts him from the chair and he declares, “When I’m on stage, I can’t think of anything else.”

For one who travels extensively, how much does the audience determine the show? He says, for example, that in India he keeps the hall lights off. And the spotlight focuses only on him. This is because, he finds, Indians are embarrassed of laughing openly at “dirty jokes”! They will laugh only in the dark.

With stand-up comedy being about a live show in real time, he does cut his content to the measure of the audience. “In the rest of the world, I’m the underdog. In India it’s different. I perform for people like us over here.”

But he adds, “It’s all about finding your own voice. People are not going to remember my name. They are going to remember me as the Indian guy.” Whether in India or abroad, Indianness is his leitmotif. He adds, “I’m a very proud Indian.”

NANDINI NAIR

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