My wife sings and dances to Bollywood tracks: Rob Schneider

Emmy-nominated actor Rob Schneider, with films like 50 First Dates, Animal and Grown-Ups to boast off, performed on Sunday night at the Black Dog Comedy Evening. Rob, a reputed stand-up comic himself, had the audience in splits while promoting Black Dog’s initiative on how comedy as a genre is reaching to new heights in the country. Here are a few excerpts from a interview:

How has been your trip to India till now?
It’s been a whirlwind trip. I am still catching my breath, after touring so many cities. I always wanted to visit India. I am personally into Zen Buddhism, which is pretty close to Hinduism, so I can actually relate to India and its people.

So how has the response been?
It has been great till now. It started slow but the second night in Bengaluru was great and the night after in Kolkata was even better. It gets better as you go...it’s more comfortable, more relaxed and more fun. But Delhi audience were surprising from what I was told it would be. The audience were more quiet and reserved. I feel they were really polite. All in all the Indian audience is very warm and generous. I feel they are more literate and really intelligent people, they also have a lot of interest in other cultures. They listen to every word that you say and do register them.

Did you manage to go for sightseeing?
Yes, I did. I walked around the spice market in Kolkata, then I went shopping and my wife bought some beautiful stuffs. But it wasn’t that much as I would like it to be, I wish I could have done more.

What moved me the most is the people of India. There is a genuine feeling among them when they say namaste and they believe it comes from the foundations of the society — that there is a God inside you, it recognises and respects it. There is also real sincerity among the people, which I really found warm.

Are you aware of Bollywood?
Yes, I have seen many Bollywood films — there is a lot of song and dance. Actually my wife listens to Bollywood songs in the car and she even dances to them. Bollywood is very popular all over the world. I think this is going to be the century of India!

Tell us about your next film.
I am currently working on this film called Teach Me To Dance. It’s kind of Bollywood but no singing. The film revolves around this guy, whose sexy dancer girl leaves him and he has to learn to dance to get her back.

Which is more difficult stand-up comic act or acting in films?
You know sometimes when you are acting you don’t feel the connection, sometimes the movie works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Like I was doing a scene with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler for 50 First Dates and she was beating me with this baseball bat. And I was like if this doesn’t get the biggest laugh in the movie then I quit. So I go with my instincts. I got a little bored in the last few years in terms of what I was not being able to do that I wanted to do, and I had to do something more fun. So, stand-up act is more of a challenge for me and more interesting because I like getting the immediate feedback.

As a stand-up comic artiste one advice you will give to young comics in the industry.
Try to write every day, try to go to a new place, bar, coffee shop. Get on stage, there is no short-cuts to it. It’s like by just reading a book on tennis you don’t learn anything until you are actually on the court.