In his career as a radio jockey, Manan Desai had it all: A dream job, the popularity and decent money. Yet he felt something was missing. This was 2010-11, when Russell Peters’s standup comedy videos were growing popular among Indians. In August 2011, at the Offside Lounge in Vadodara, Desai finally decided to try his luck at standup comedy. His first untrained 60-minute act bombed, but Desai realised the missing element from his almost perfect job: Being a ‘performer’.
“There was a dearth of live entertainment in Gujarat. It is a dry state, which is why live entertainment never saw the light of day here. We saw an opportunity in this space,” says Desai. In 2011, he and his wife Vidya decided to set up The Comedy Factory to help formalise Gujarati standup comedy. At the time, there were barely any platforms for standup comedians, the Canvas Laugh Club being one of the few in the country. Even on those platforms, English-speaking comedians like Vir Das, Gursimran Khamba and Rohan Joshi were the ones drawing in the audience.
With The Comedy Factory, the Desais wanted to bring back comedy as an art form in their native language. “I have this love for my language and culture. And I strongly believe that Gujaratis were so busy earning money that we forgot to nurture our arts and culture,” says Desai.
The group, which now has six core members, not only does live shows and YouTube sketches, but also organises live productions across Gujarat and handles other Gujarati standup comedians. It started touring internationally two years ago and has done about 60 shows across the world. And with OTT platforms now gaining steam, The Comedy Factory has turned towards them to expand reach. “With OTT platforms, we already have two shows on the floor and one, a 13-episode series, is at the post-production stage,” says Desai.
Denne historien er fra January 3, 2020-utgaven av Forbes India.
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Denne historien er fra January 3, 2020-utgaven av Forbes India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
