The Laughter Challenge

Have you ever given a thougth to what it takes to make others laugh? Did you know that the initial five minutes of a show is in reality the litmus test of a stand-up comedian? It is during these crucial minutes that he knows whether he will have his audiences’s attention for the rest of the show. These and many other tricks of the trade come together for  the making of a comic. Here is a look at some of these aspects

Natural or developed talent
Humourists and stand-up comedians that this correspondent spoke with believe that it’s difficult to be a funny man if you lack a sense of humour. “You need to have a sense of humour. The ability to see the lighter side of everything is a must, if you intend to be in the business of making people laugh,” said Milan Trivedi, a stand-up comedian who has been in the business for over five years, but clarifies that he delivers his wit while being seated. 

Trivedi believes that once you have the basics in place, the rest can be developed. “Some people actually work on their jokes, again and again, while to some, humour comes naturally,” said Trivedi, much to the agreement of his fellow comic – Dhiru Sarvaiya. “Funny people can be classified into two categories – natural humourists, and those who have to carefully work on their jokes, practice it on someone and know what works and what doesn’t,” said Sarvaiya.
 
Laughing all the way to the bank
From laughing to splits with friends to big-ticket stage events, humour today is a serious business with big money. Earlier, humourists performed at dayro and bhajan sammelan for a few minutes.

“In those days, musicians and singers were in demand and humourists got to perform in between but over the years, humour has developed with hasya durbars being set up,” said Shahbuddin Rathod, a very popular humourist whose work has been adapted into films as well.

Now, humourists and stand-up comedians are a must-have even in weddings, and death anniversaries as well. “I have a show in which I’m to perform at the first death anniversary of a person! The deceased had a great sense of humour and his son thought that having a humorist perform was the best way to pay tribute to his father,” said Trivedi, who admitted that such a programme would have been unheard of some years ago.

Rathod further said that getting a humourist to perform at a wedding was something that only the moneyed could think of. “But now, given the number of talented artists we have, anyone can get them,” said Rathod. Humourists are also a regular at kitty parties and birthday celebrations.
 
Gujaratis and their sense of humour
 Ask the humourists about Gujaratis and their sense of humour, and they get guarded in their response. “I have found that men tend to have a better sense of humour than women. The latter don’t find it easy to laugh at themselves,” said Trivedi after much prodding. Rathod on the other hand is clear that in Gujarat, it is Saurashtra that wins hands down when it comes to laughter.

“The sense of humour of people in Saurashtra runs quite deep. Even before hasya durbars became popular, it was common to find people make fun of each other at weddings and feasts,” said Rathod. But he feels that rest of the state is a bit uptight. “People (in rest of the state) think there is an ulterior motive why someone would make others laugh. They can’t see humour for what it is,” said Rathod. Punjabis and Parsis are the other communities that can laugh heartily and at themselves as well, he said.

Trivedi clarifies that the audience at a wedding is the worst. “For any humourist to have an impact, he should have an eye-contact with the audience. But in a wedding, everyone is interested in talking and nobody listens. Hence, I personally find them the worst.”

The future of humour
Sarvaiya, Trivedi and Rathod are hopeful of a bright future for humourists.

“New talent is coming up and in the future too, we will not be short of people who can make us laugh,” said Sarvaiya. Trivedi, however, has a word of caution. There are over 150 stand-up comedians in the state but only 15 are well known. “It is because humour is hard work. It takes time before you get recognised and till then, you have to be at your work, improving it,” said Trivedi.

“These days, youngsters want quick fame and quicker money. When they don’t get it, many feel disappointed and leave.” said Trivedi. He said that an artist can earn anywhere between Rs10,000 to Rs1 lakh per show depending on his popularity. In this field, nothing works like word-of-mouth publicity.

The three humourists agree that the rise of vulgar comedy is a matter of concern. “We strive to present innocent humour. The reality television has given a stage and opportunity to several talented people, but in the process, it has also made humour very crass and vulgar,” said Sarvaiya.

Rathod believes that humour should be something that families can enjoy together. “Most of our performances are for families and we offer innocent humour. The vulgar humour may have initial appeal but will not last in the long run,” he said.

Trivedi too believes that in Gujarat, vulgar humour is yet find roots. “I personally know of artists, who though talented, took to such humour and saw their popularity dip over the years,” said Trivedi.