TG: How difficult (or easy) is it, giving up desk job and venturing into the unknown. Stand up comedy is still a burgeoning profession in India.
SR: It was the easiest and the best decision that I ever made in my life.
TG: It’s always easy to poke fun and laugh at oneself for the benefit of the audience, but with your disability, does it get too personal?SR: The thing is I don't laugh at people or any physical aspect of people, I point out what people do, I make fun of situations and experiences, things that happen. When you get too personal it would hurt anyone and that not what we do.
TG: Stand up comedy isn’t just about having fun, but can also be a platform to effect change. Do you think you can use it to point out how we need to improve the way we treat the disabled?SR: I think the most important thing that stand up comedy does well it actually depends from artist to artist it can help bring out issues and matter that is swept under the carpet.
TG: People get easily offended these days. What’s the worst reaction you’ve received from someone in the audience or otherwise to your jokes?SR: The thing is if you come for a stand up comedy show, with the intention to get offended you will. There are people that act as representatives on behalf of other people who get offended. The worst thing that has happened to me is is no one has yelled at me so far but a lady did walk out on me during my performance.
TG: So how did you deal with it?
SR: Well it's too bad ! If you don't appreciate stand up comedy and you take everything literally the people that do should not come to the shows, everyone has a right to get offended and they will if they don't understand what stand up comedy is about.
TG: How easy is it, to be original with your material, in a diverse country like India?
SR: I think being original is one of the hardest things but once you are original your life as a comedian is much longer, I mean you can copy a joke off the internet or another comedian and get a quicker laugh but being original will take you down a longer road and people will come for your voice
