Kerala is witnessing a boom in amateur standup comedy and its largely due to the efforts of comedy collectives formed in the state.
A standup comedy show in Kochi. (Supplied)
Humour, it is said, is ingrained in Malayalis, who have an innate ability to laugh at themselves. Some of the best cartoons in India have come from this little stretch of land in the deep South, raising serious sociopolitical questions with a sharp sense of humour.
Travel further back in time, and there is Kunchan Nambiar, who, as the legend goes, founded “Ottanthullal” after he was ridiculed for falling asleep during a Chakyar Koothu performance. The story itself is humourous since if the percussionist dozes off — like Nambiar did — it speaks volumes about the performance.
“Ottanthullal is used as an art form to speak about injustices and prejudices in society. It is the artists’ freedom to incorporate humour to lighten the mood,” Kalamandalam Mahendran told South First.
Mahendran is a veteran in the field of performative arts and a teacher of Ottanthullal at the Kerala Kalanilayam.
Chakyar Koothu, too, is woven around humor and satire. “The chakyar (the artist) makes his monologue around social and political issues but delivers it in his unique way. The chakyar’s audience would bear the brunt of his sarcastic jabs.” he added.
A testament to the Malayali’s sense of humour and ability to get away with biting sarcasm, both Chakyar koothu, and Ottanthullal make the cultural landscape of comedic arts in Kerala rich and vibrant.
Cut to the present. Modern standup comedy is a much more a subtle alternative when compared to these culturally rich art forms.
Even though Kerala lags behind other states as far as standups are concerned, the scenario is changing, thanks to pioneering comedy collectives dedicated to nurturing and promoting the art form.
A group of individuals has taken it upon themselves to discover, train, and propel upcoming standup comedians, captivating audiences across the region.
Stepping into the scene six years ago, a Kochi-based collective, Comedy Lounge, began as a small gathering of passionate comedy enthusiasts who saw the potential for standup comedy in the state.
At a time standup comedy was almost non-existent in the state, the group ventured into uncharted waters where the audience’s perception of comedy is completely different.
Comedy lounge collective (supplied)
“It’s highly possible if you ask an average Malayali about modern standup comedy, he’ll site examples like Comedy Stars and other televised forms of comedy/mimicry in Malayalam television. They are far from the actual art of standup,” Comedy Lounge founder Jubin CL told South First.
“It should change. Standup needs more awareness as a performance art in Kerala. When people see more and more artists coming up and performing the actual thing, the scene will start to mature,” he added.
“Believe it or not, Covid-19 propelled a huge bunch of people into standup comedy. Stuck in their homes, watching scores of other standup comedians performing and making people laugh, drove their curiosity to explore what standups as an activity would be like,” Jubin explained.
The lockdown period saw a huge influx of people contacting Jubin and Vishnu Pai, a veteran standup comedian and the soul of Comedy Lounge. They wanted to know about opportunities and places they could perform.
“Confidential Open Mics is a place where comedians can gather on an online platform every Thursday and try out jokes they make to a very inclusive audience. It’s usually just two or three invites for every performer trying out jokes for that night’s round of Confidential Mics,” Pai explained.
South First was invited to an inclusive Confidential Mic hosted by the Comedy Lounge on a video streaming platform.
“I request everyone to turn on the cameras. This isn’t your typical office meeting,” Jeffery, the host for the open mic, began.
“Or maybe not, some faces and angles I have seen here will give me nightmares till next Thursday,” Jeffery delivered his opening punchline.
The Confidential Open Mics is a platform for comedians to try whatever comedy comes to mind. Perfecting a joke set takes more than a few trials and errors.
“A standup performer in Bengaluru or Chennai will have scores of shows lined up in a day. Within a week he will have perfected a set of jokes, a complete routine after going through the trial and error process,” Pai said.
“But in Kerala, we don’t have that luxury. Performing online mics is the workaround we found for that problem.
a performer of comedy lounge (supplied)
Getting audience feedback, setting up the perfect joke set, and training comedians — Confidential Open Mics provided a solution to get the standup comedy scene going in Ernakulam,” Pai explained.
Pai handles the training process of new comedians; and as a veteran comedian with more than a decade of experience in standups, Pai is optimistic about the hidden talents in Kerala.
“The process involves sessions of writing jokes, practicing the perfect pitch, tone, delivery and, most importantly, bombing a show. Every joke won’t be a hit, and every audience won’t be supportive. It’s about failing and learning and getting back up,” he explained the process.
From organising an event for Kenny Sebastian to getting a private show together for a 90- year-old’s birthday, Comedy Lounge has undertaken multiple events over the past few years.
“I have been attending regular events of Comedy Lounge for a while now. The whole initiative they have put up to create a platform for comedy is fantastic! I have regularly followed standup acts on YouTube and it’s great to see the culture taking shape here,” Aman Antony, a regular in the audience, told South First.
“True comedy is making something work out of nothing, being spontaneous. Anyone can make a lot of double entendres or petty one-liners, but those won’t work at a private event, like the nonagenarian’s birthday. It takes a different skillset altogether,” Jubin said while sharing an example involving Pai.
“Sir, what do you do,” Pai asked a person in the crowd.
“I’m just a humble fisherman,” came the reply.
“Sir, this private event costs ₹2,500 per ticket. Maybe your fishing business involves slicing the fish and stuffing it with small packets of powder,” the reference was not lost, especially since Kerala has been witnessing a spurt in drug hauls.
“The crowd burst into laughter and later we came to realise that the guy who claimed to be the humble fisherman was the owner of a fish exporting business and a prominent hotelier, one of the organisers of the event. That made the joke 10 times funnier,” Jubin said.
Comedy Lounge has performed in most major locations in Ernakulam. It also hosted major comedians like Kenny Sebastian, Sourabh Pant, and Zakir Khan.
Vishnu Pai at an event of Comedy Lounge (supplied)
“Our goal is to keep the quality high and to grab the attention of Kerala,” Jubin said.
“For us to reach a wider audience, and for standup to become a common household name, we need to develop a culture where people will turn to standup comedy during weekends to unwind and relax,” he further said.
“In November, we’ll have a show featuring an international standup comedian, who had worked with Jim Carrey. Kochi is slowly gaining traction as a hub for standup,” he added.
“One of our biggest goals is to get Kerala its first comedy room, a dedicated space for comedy where people can come during weekends,” Jubin said.
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