‘I don’t consider myself funny’

PIALI DASGPTA / TNN / Aug 9, 2007, 00:00 IST

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Stand-up comedian Ash Chandler says picking on communities is not his style.

Stand-up comedian Ash Chandler says picking on communities is not his style
A stand-up comedian, who owns a restaurant, a chopper-making firm, and speaks eight languages. That’s Ash Chandler for you.
And even on stage, he does more than just comedy. He sings, does impressions, mimics and quite naturally calls himself a variety performer. “My main objective is to entertain people.I find it erroneous when people call me a stand-up comedian.
I don’t want to segregate my act into different disciplines. This kind of thing was done long ago by people like Sammy Davis Jr,” he explains.

It’s not just through stage acts that he wishes to entertain people. Films too are an option. Having acted in films like Mixed Doubles and Sikhar, he awaits the release of My Bollywood Bride, where he plays a South Indian auto driver. “I based my character on someone who scammed Rs 2,000 from me in Mahabalipuram, posing as a guide,” he laughs.
Does he consider himself funny? “No, I don’t. But I’m good at pointing out how funny everything else is. In fact, my wife (model Nethra Raghuraman) hardly laughs at my jokes,” he confesses.

The other thing that he doesn’t find funny are the new crop of Hindi stand-up comedians. “It’s more mimicry and less comedy in those shows. My sensibility is entirely different from that,” he comments.
Quiz him if humour helps with women, and he says, “Humour helps with humanity. We have to learn to laugh. It’s therapeutic.” Interestingly, Ash believes that one can be trained to be a comedian. “You put someone on stage, boo him off a few times and he’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t”, he smiles.
He says defining his brand of humour is not his job. “My entire perspective will change if I define my humour,” he offers. But picking on communities is not his style. “I’m not an insult comic. I try and find humour that’s universal. Having said that, I feel I live in a world where people can get offended by the tie I’m wearing,” he quips.
Inspite of all the adulations and the popularity, Ash finds it amusing when people ask him, “We know your name, but what do you do besides partying?” He tells us that he does a host of things besides party hopping. “I wrote a book of poetry that’s been edited by a friend. I’ve also written a novel called It’s a boy which should be out next year.” I’ve been a biker all my life.
I can cook too. It’s a different thing that I took 30 minutes to make a two-minute noodle the first time I tried cooking. But I’m an expert in Thai, Indian, Italian and Mexican food now,” he says.
An expert in the kitchen and also in bringing a smile on every face. But what happens when his jokes fall flat? “There maybe five people in the audience who don’t get my jokes. But everything can’t be a hit. There are hits and misses in life. But the trick is to never let them see you sweat,” he reveals.

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