Stand-up is serious biz: Azhar

What happens when you put three stand-up comedianstogether in a room? If you���������re thinking uncontrollable laughter and a series of ���������p(f)unny��������� jokes, then you���������re right. In conversation with Rajiv Satyal, Hari Kondabolu and Azhar Usman from ���������Make Chai Not War���������, Hyderabad Times gets them to share their filmi dreams and more
In the race
Look up the Internet for stand-up videos of Hari and Azhar, and invariably you would stumble upon videos of them making jokes on Americans, the Indian Diaspora in America and other jokes on the different races.But while racist jokes are on every stand-up comedians��������� list these days, Hari and Azhar steer clear from them. ���������I speak for Azhar as well when I say that we don���������t thrive on ���������racist��������� jokes per se. Instead, when we talk about white people, we���������re talking about the privileges that they have as Americans. And by doing what we do, we are making fun of that privilege, not their race,��������� explains Hari, adding, ���������You know, the tables have turned. First they (Americans) were making fun of us, now we���������re making fun of them. Not them, but the situation they���������re in.���������
Comedy is serious biz
Making people laugh is no mean feat. The comedians say that stand-up is serious biz. ���������One of my favorite quotes about comedy is by Sir Peter Ustinov, a British humorist, who said, ���������Comedy is a funny way of being serious���������, it���������s actually true,��������� says Azhar. Not to be left behind, Hari too quotes his favorite comedian, Buster Keaton. ���������Keaton said ���������Tragedy is a close up, comedy is a long shot���������. That���������s exactly what it is ��������� it���������s being in a perspective of something bigger and tragedy is like being the pain. The audiences here, understand what we���������re saying, they understand the concept and connect with us. They know our lives and see it, so they appreciate our observations,��������� explains Hari.
Best shows
While it may be difficult to choose among their various shows, the comedians do a little thinking to pick out their fave shows. Meanwhile, the third comedian, Rajiv Satyal joins us and he doesn���������t take much time to list his favorite stand-up shows. ���������The best show I���������ve had was in New Jersery. I did a show for people who had just come from India, they were probably there for three months and I got a standing ovation from them. What really mattered to me was to be able to reach out to them, which felt pretty awesome. I was touched that I was able to fill that gap with humor.��������� Three shows pop up in Hari���������s head. One was at Comedy Central where he got a standing ovation for which he says, ���������It���������s really difficult for us to get a standing ovation from the New York audience, which I got and it was amazing.��������� He also considers his performance with his brother Ashok as another one of his best shows. He quips, ���������Stand-up is a beautiful thing, but you���������re alone up there and you have nobody to go with you. But to have Ashok up with me, it���������s like I get to share it with him. He���������s really funny.��������� And the last show for him was in Seattle, which is where he started doing comedy. He says, ���������Bill and Melinda Gates had come down to watch me, and I was told, they were laughing throughout the show. I had a Microsoft joke and I heard him laugh, that was pretty cool.���������
For Azhar, deciding between his gig for President Musharaf and a show at his parents��������� hometown Ali Garh was a difficult choice. ���������But hands down, it���������d be when I met my favorite comedian, Mitch Hedberg, two weeks before he passed away. I met him twice before, but wasn���������t sure he���������d remember me. But he totally did. He said that one of the jokes I wrote for him was funny and that I should do that joke. It was special to me.���������
On Russell Peters
Ask them about Russell Peters and they all unanimously agree on their love for him. Rajiv and Azhar have only good things to say about him, while Hari is still to meet him. ���������I met Russell about 30-odd times and he���������s a really great guy,��������� says Rajiv, who went on tour with Russell in the beginning of 2011.
Filmi Dreams
From comedy to movies, the topic saw a funnier side to them as Rajiv explains he wants do a show with Priyanka Chopra. Azhar on the other hand acted in a documentary, but prefers to stay behind the scenes doing production work. Hari, meanwhile, did a cameo in the Sandra Bullock starrer, ���������All about Steve��������� and quips in his typical South Indian accent, ���������What I really want to do is act in a Tollywood film with Mahesh Babu ��������� ���������Pokiri 2��������� perhaps. Or probably a budding cop film, titled, ���������Jubilee Hills Cop���������.���������