The josh for stand-up comedy acts in City Beautiful has been high in the past few months

Sheetal

Who dof fun and laughter? And when it is right at the doorstep of Chandigarh folks, what can be better? From Chandigarh’s very own Abhishek Upamanyu, to Comicstaan-fame Rahul Dua to Punjabi paaji Jaspreet Singh, to Jeeveshu Ahluwalia to Anubhav Singh Bassi’s observational genius; weekends were no less than a laugh riot. Mark your dates as many sensational and popular comics of the likes of Harsh Gujral, Aakash Gupta and Azeem Banatwalla, Gaurav Kapoor and Vijay Yadav are set to perform in the coming months, promising a heavy dose of fun.

Sudden surge

The opening of city’s very own comedy club, ‘The Laugh Club’, seems to be the reason behind residents’ new-found love for comedy shows. “But things have been tough since the pandemic hit us,” says Dhruv Bakshi, CEO and Founder of The Laugh Club, Sector 26. He adds, “At one point, we were almost down to the thought of closing it. In July, with precautions in place, we managed to get Abhishek Upmanyu on board, but yet again a few Covid-19 cases in the vicinity made us refund the money for all the sold-out shows. Things turned around for good from October onwards with comedians Jaspreet Singh and Upmanyu stepping up. Not a single weekend has witnessed a dive in numbers since October. There’s an audience for stand-up comics in tricity. Whosoever is coming to Delhi for their shows has come down to Chandigarh to perform.” The Finch and The Jungle Bar has also been hosting comedy shows in tricity.

Hope for the best

Jaspreet Singh, whose stand-up video Stupid Log, Alcohol Aur Gaaliyan has crossed 14-million mark, opines, “If the pandemic has affected comedians’ livelihood, it has, on the other hand, also helped the art form as more number of people have discovered stand-up acts during their stay at home during the past one year. It is evident from the sudden increase in views, on old as well as fresh acts, on our YouTube channels. I hope that Covid-19 situation stays under control and we get to entertain new audiences.”

Get live

Stand-up comic Gurleen Pannu has spread smiles with her ‘rant’ videos and reels on her Instagram handle. Now busy with shows and opening acts for other visitor-comedians, she says, “Live scene is better than online for sure. I am planning to record my gigs as well, hopefully in Chandigarh. Last year did not go as planned, but it helped to take a step back and reflect on my content. Nothing beats the feeling of being busy like we are now. The energy on-stage is a different high and not easy to explain in words.”

Take notes

Comedian and YouTuber Harry Verma stresses on his love for the city as an artiste, “Chandigarh has got my back. I have always felt like I have upgraded myself as a comedian in this city although I have lived in Mumbai for many years. I have utilised the lockdown period to an optimum level and now we can finally put those jokes to test.”

Fan mail

Raghav Jaiswal, businessman, recalls his experience of recent stand-up acts as rewarding, “I had gone to Rahul Dua’s show in November and recently when he was here, I went again. I know many feel that watching a show again wouldn’t be fun, but when you like somebody it does not matter. So, every penny that I have spent on stand-up shows was worth it.”