Comedian Pritish Narula, who hails from Chandigarh, believes we are capable at laughing at our own problems

Sheetal

Punjabi stand-up artistes are going places in the national comedy circuit and Chandigarh-born Pritish Narula is one among them. Busier than ever before, Narula talked to us before performing his stand-up act, Pichhe Ki Vajda Hai, at CP67 Mall Mohali and Harpal Tiwana Auditorium, Patiala, recently.

Narula is one of the favourites among Punjabi audiences and also enjoys a substantial fan-base in Canada as well as the UK. Currently on Live Stand-Up tour in Canada, Narula is hopeful of gaining more fans and followers as he moves along.

Contemporary of Anubhav Singh Bassi and Harsh Gujral, although Narula’s jokes caught up late with netizens, when they did there was no looking back! Narula shared, “I think that it is the beauty of Punjabi culture. We will find something funny in any situation, even tragedy, to make the moment light by saying a funny sentence or story. We are capable at laughing at our problems.”

Food fun

Narula’s love for Punjabi food is evident in one of his viral videos, ABCD, where he talks about food, “A for Aman Chicken, B for Baba Chicken and C for Chawla Chicken.” While he denies the ‘D’ stands for daaru, he added, “Whenever I visit Punjab, it’s a given that I will eat at Baba Chicken or Aman or Chawla, in that order. Being born and brought up in Chandigarh has its side-effects, as I still can’t make peace with Gurgaon where I have been living for several years now! The best part about Punjab is that you go anywhere and sit at the smallest of dhabas, the food will still be tasty — be it dal, sabzi or chicken.”

Sensitive zone

At the rate people are becoming sensitive about any subject, one wonders how easy or tough it is to become a comedian nowadays. Narula sees it as a challenge. To address the first part of question he recalls his viral joke about, “Christmas Shobha Yatra and how while the intention was to bring something funny on to the table, many saw it as a religious affront. There was no denying the fact that people today get offended easily. We have become too sensitive as a society in the past few years. However, a majority my audience is Punjabi and quite different. If they don’t like something, they would troll and say abusive words in the comments’ section but after few days, the same people are capable of showering love.”

Mental game

Narula opines comedy is really taxing on mental health. “It’s a stressful job. It is not done after managing your content, a lot more needs to be done. The key is to keep your family and friends close.”

He feels when people start recognising you, one has the feeling of having ‘arrived’. “When I first posted my video, many people in Gurgaon would come and ask for a picture and it was a very warm feeling.” Narula would love to include Chandigarh in his acts, but is in no hurry, “I have so much love for Chandigarh that when I do something, it should be impactful and relatable, so it is worth the wait,” adds Narula.

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