Indian comedian dies on stage in Dubai; audience thinks it''s part of act

shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com

Dubai, July 21 

A 36-year-old Indian stand-up comedian in the UAE collapsed and died on stage in Dubai while performing in front of a packed audience, who thought it was part of his act, according to a media report.

Manjunath Naidu, 36, suffered a cardiac arrest while performing his routine on stage on Friday.

He complained of high level of anxiety, sat down on the bench next to him and collapsed onto the floor, with audience thinking that it must be a part of the show, Khaleej Times reported.

Naidu was born in Abu Dhabi but later moved to Dubai.

"He was the last act in the line-up. He went on stage and was making people laugh with his stories. He was talking about his father and family. And then he got into a story of how he suffers from anxiety. And a minute into the story he collapsed," Miqdaad Dohadwala, his friend and fellow comedian, was quoted as saying in the report.

People thought it was part of the act. They took it as a joke as he was talking about anxiety and then collapsed, he said.

Dohadwala said that the paramedics could not revive him.

"His parents passed away and he has a brother but no relatives here. All in the arts and comedy circle are his family," he added. — PTI