From stage to screen

If viewer comments are anything to go by, after watching the first episode of the latest web series by The Viral Fever (TVF) last Sunday, Humorously Yours, the dialogue that left an impact on most viewers was, ‘M for manager, M for...’ Tell this to stand-up comedian Vipul Goyal who plays the protagonist in the show and he replies, “The manager and the cheating incident actually happened with me in real life. I had a manager like that for six months.”

Now, let’s clarifiy in the beginning itself. The slice of life comedy-drama is not an autobiographical account of Vipul’s life but does borrow heavily from his professional life. “The character in the show, also named Vipul, is just three years into comedy, unlike me who has been in the field for the past six years. Also, I’m a lot more confident of my craft than the character I play is,” he says. The response to the first episode has been overwhelming for him. “I would say, 99.99 per cent people have given a positive response,” he says. And what about the remaining .01 per cent? “Ek do log toh apni zindagi se naaraz hote hi hain, unka aap kuch nahin kar sakte,” he laughs.

Comedy’s king

Vipul and Arunabh Kumar, TVF’s founder, goes back a couple of years when the former used to act in the short films directed by the latter. “I digressed into stand-up comedy after that,” he reveals, but he has always been a part of the core group of TVF, heading the TVF-Live department. “As a writer, I was the head writer of Barely Speaking with Arnub’s first season as well as for the Chetan Bhagat episode in the second season,” he says.

According to Vipul, the makers of the latest web series got the idea because they knew that people have a curiosity towards the field of stand-up comedy. “When Golu (Amit Golani, director of Pitchers and Humorously Yours) made Pitchers, start ups were booming in India. We realised that in recent years, comedy has become a big part of pop culture what with Kapil Sharma’s show and the AIB Roast. In the last two years, it has emerged as an alternate form of live entertainment. People are curious to know about the backstage life of a comedian,” he says. While the show had four writers, Vipul says he was their window into the stand up world. “The language we used backstage, what happens in green rooms, funny incidents that happened in our professional lives, the nitty gritties — I would tell them and the team would decide which moments or incidents they found funny. When it came to the craft of writing, the writers would take over.” Adding a bit more about the character he plays, Vipul says, “He is a good comedian, content wise and is popular in his circle. All his colleagues respect him but he hasn’t had his popular break-through moment yet.”

Scripting success

Vipul might have contributed to the scripting process, but it wasn’t as if the makers wanted him as the one in front of the camera from the beginning. “I’m the only stand-up comedian in TVF and I thought agar yeh bhi role nahi mila, then it will be really bad,” he laughs. Eventually, he did manage to bag the role, but not before he had to convince the director that he was right for the role.

But ask Vipul what he enjoys more, stand-up or acting and pat comes the reply. “Definitely stand-up. I got the role only because I do stand-up. That would not have been the case if I was an actor. You get instant feedback when you’re on stage doing stand up,” he says. The artiste reveals that they shot for the episodes in August. “The show launched in December, so there was an emotional gap. Now that the comments are pouring in, I’m feeling good about it. But yes, in terms of gratification and the art form, I like stand-up. I have been doing it for six years now and have better hold of that craft than acting,” he says. As for acting, Vipul says his journey in the field has just begun. “It will all depend on the response. For the moment, I’m just waiting for the next episode,” he smiles.