Stand-comedy is a serious profession, and it takes a lot to make others laugh. Not everybody can do that. Not everybody has the guts after all.
Gurumurthy stands apart when it comes to this. From quitting the job to take up stand up comedy as the profession to the difficulties he has to go through as an independent artist, he opens up.
Getting into Stand-up comedy…
Right from my school days, I used to crave to get on stage. But, whenever I did so my legs used to tremble, my hands used to shiver, I would go blank while delivering a speech that I prepared all night. On the other hand, I used to crack a lot of puns that usually leave people irritated. On the farewell day of my school, we had a practice of exchanging slam books. I vividly remember a friend writing that I’ll be a stand-up comedian one day… and I didn’t even know what it meant. This was in 2014. After joining college, a few people were watching Aravind SA’s stand-up video on YouTube and I was fascinated by what he did.
Little did I know that a year later, I would be getting on stage to do stand-up. There was a competition that was taking place in a college. I felt I could participate and win since college isn’t that popular. I registered and asked for a 10-minute spot. With complete enthusiasm, I ran up to the stage and started performing. 20 seconds later, the crowd started booing me. They wanted Tamizh stand-up comedy, while I was doing it in English. It wasn’t even a stand-up set. It was just a collection of my puns and wordplays. I lost all hopes of winning; I badly wanted to finish what I started. That’s how my journey started. For the next year, I was doing small performances inside my college, thanks to the MAD (Movies and Dramatics) club that I was a part of.
In addition to this, I was volunteering for a non-profit organisation called ‘Voice of the Unheard’, who had organised an art showcase event in January 2017. That was technically my first proper stand-up performance. I performed for 20 minutes, and after the 10-minute mark, the trembling and shivering stopped. For the first time, the audience was laughing at my jokes. Thanks to Abilasha and Ashwini, the ones who gave me my first proper stand-up stage.
Leaving the job to take up stand-up comedy as full-time…
I resigned from my job in early July this year, and it certainly wasn’t an easy decision to take. I had to think about it for nearly 1-2 months. It’s not like I hated the job, but the love for stand-up engulfed me. Since I’m just 21, I felt I didn’t have any commitment as such, and can survive with whatever I’ve saved, at least for a year. My only fear is what if I don’t earn after one year.
For a stand-up comedian, corporate shows/private shows are the sources of income. Public shows don’t fetch you that much. My jokes are usually not that commercial in nature. I’ve realised that, and right now my goal is to do a one-hour solo show by December 2019 or January 2020. It might demand more time than what I’ve planned, so it’s a very ambitious decision to quit the job, but worth it!
Support from family and friends…
Initially, my parents were extremely reluctant about allowing me to do this. It’s not their fault too. Their generation had an entirely different perception of how to lead life. They wanted me to earn money, marry someone at 25/26, and then settle down for life. Being an artist doesn’t guarantee you any of those benefits. So they are still scared about my future.
As far as my friends are concerned, I couldn’t have taken this decision without having them. I feel insecure about life and my future quite often. If not for the friends, my life would be a mess right now. For instance, I have a friend named Sarah, who studies in Hyderabad. Every time I feel low, she sends me a text – “You’ve got this!” Those 3 words instantly boost my self-esteem, and start thinking “Maybe, it wasn’t that bad after all.” I have another friend, Shrivathsan who never allows me to speak negative about myself, even if it’s a joke. There are many more in the list, and they are the reason why I’m surviving waves of emotions every single day.
Being an independent artist is not easy…
Being an independent artist is definitely not easy because of financial instability. If you’re an independent artist, and unpopular, it is going to be an arduous task to earn money. There is always a fear of becoming broke. There have been days where I’ve skipped lunch/dinner so that I can save up some money. And I don’t inform my parents about this because they’ll also start feeling bad. The last thing you want as a human is making another person feel burdened. The only thing that keeps me going is the love for the stage.
Motivation comes from…
My motivation usually comes from songs. There are very few Tamil songs that have grown upon me, but I’ve started listening to more of Tamil independent artists. Kurangan, Siennor and Othasevuru in particular have been inspiring me a lot, not just in life, but also while writing sets. I also have sticky notes all over my room that has a list of my goals. I want to keep seeing them whenever I’m inside my room. Apart from this, I always have friends to whom I am very honest. If a show/open mic doesn’t go well, I tell them that honestly. They send back genuine messages filled with love that lift my spirits. There is no bigger motivation than love.
Making people laugh, definitely not an easy task…
When I started my career as a comedian by hitting open mics, I used to write jokes, memorize them and then get on stage. But after a year, I realized the value of being honest on stage and started writing material from my heart. When that happens, I think there is no need to by-heart jokes. Nowadays my material stems from the flaws I have right now, or had before. I feel that makes my set more human and relatable to the audience. Once they start relating to your material, most of the job is done.
For instance, I now do a set where I tell the audience that I was a chauvinist in school. With violence against women increasing every day, if I go to someone and tell them that they are sexist, they’ll probably dismiss my opinion, and/or abuse me verbally/physically. When I put myself in the shoes of a chauvinist, they cannot get offended, at the same time, they will reflect upon their behaviour (casual or violent). I hope these sets trigger a discussion. So my sets usually underline how flawed I am, and in the process, I also question my privileges.
Upcoming shows…
Immediately after quitting my job, I’ve started getting a lot of shows. October will kick-off with a show at Festember, the annual cultural fest of National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NIT-T). That will be followed by my first half-a-special, where a comedian named Abiishiek, and I will be doing 30 minutes each. The show is named Thayir Sadham, and it’s happening on 18th October at Counter Culture Comedy Club, Alwarpet. This show will see me doing jokes that revolve around my privileges, my flaws, and Tamil Cinema.
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