Karthik recalling Karthik

Will there be any fun in the article, asks Karthik Kumar mid interview. We pause.He is an actor and send-up artist of standing. He is coming to Bengaluru with a new solo show, seemingly based on his tumultuous personal life that surpasses freaky reality shows with his spouse's tellall Twitter handle that published private emails and photos of top s o u t h I n d i a n a c t o r s, r ap e allegations and stories of casting couch last year.The viral tweet storm #Suchileaks from the nowdefunct handle, and the subsequent police investigation into `hacking' seem to have settled for now. “It was a tragedy that hit my life, her life (wife, RJ and playback singer Suchitra). It was very tough on her and she is dealing with it. It was very tough on people (actors, directors and their families),“ says Kumar.
Now there is a well-prepared comedic routine out of this tragedy . Not done in a prurient or insensitive way that some industry folks feared it would be when news of it first came out, says Chennai-based Kumar. “I don't think I have the emotional space to make fun of others,“ he laughs. But he is “fully qualified“ to talk about his tragedy and the result is probably his funniest.Naturally , 39-year-old Kumar, who co-founded the Evam art organisation in 2003, is keen that the focus of the interview is on humour and not controversy . “Comedy has been a great coping mechanism for me.Watch the show, it is fun,“ he says.
How did your personal life become the subject of a show?
The last 12-14 months were tough for me. A lot of my personal life was in the public. The world around me, right from Jayalalitha's death to jallikattu protests, also seemed to be in chaos. However, I didn't see many Tamil comics, who have no holy cows, seeing humour in these situations. It felt like a cop-out.Then I thought why don't I use all of these because comedy provides a powerful coping mechanism. The show largely talks about personal stuff, about how my blood turned into chutney . If you can laugh at yourself, any tragedy stops being unsur mountable. At preview shows I realised that my deeply uncomfortable situations turned out to be very funny . And when the audience laughs at them, you feel like letting them go. It is easy to make fun of demonetisation, or the latest political or social issue. But it feels really powerful to channelise my own experience as comedy . God forbid I get cancer tomorrow, but I should be able to make fun of it.
How did you go about preparing for the show?
Last year, while going back and forth between police stations and hospital (wife was hospitalised), I would go on stage. I was not funny but venting. I kept asking my friends from the comedy fraternity why my jokes weren't working.They analysed my thoughts and by the 14th edit, my anger was gone and the act became funny . I tested the show in front of small audiences for six months as I was talking about sensitive topics. For example, public shaming on Twitter where you can put a clip and shame somebody . The jokes are from the point of view of somebody who is affected by it (online harassment) and of somebody who perpetrates it.
Is there more demand for south Indiannorth Indian identity jokes now?
See, when you c r a c k yo u r first joke, it will be superficial stuff like caste, skin colour and other things. Most of us start like that not be cause it is easy to make fun of our identities but because it is the first thing that comes to our mind. As you go into your second or third show, you get into more emotional topics. That is the natural progression of any art form. Also, If I keep talking about observational middle class Indians in my new show, audiences will ask why am I repeating.
You debuted in Maniratnam's Alai Payuthe. Did you quit acting in films because you were typecast?
It is okay to quit something if you don't love it anymore. You are doing yourself and the job a favour.If I fall in love again, I will go back.The industry never took my experience in theatre seriously . Comedians are always at the receiving end.How dare you make fun of Modi, the holy cow, Gauri Lankesh! But the best is people (those named in SuchiLeaks) assuming that I am making fun of their tragedy without seeing the show! The only truth in a comedian's life is to make people laugh. And make them forget their worries. That is the only good karma I want. (The show will premiere at Good Shepherd Auditorium on September 16, 7pm)