Stand up comedy is proving to be an effective medium of humour and social introspection – a job that Konkani entertainment forms such as tiatr, natak, even carnivals and cartoons have been successfully carrying out since ages. Seeing the response Indian comedians have been receiving in Goa of late, Café finds out whether stand up comedy in Konkani could receive the same response

The trend of stand up comedy in English is picking up in Goa, with a different comedian taking the stage almost every week. Prior to this, comedy was still a big part of the Goan lifestyle with funny skits in tiatrs, nataks and cartoons. However, stand up comedy in Konkani is yet to be explored.

Alexyz, a renowned cartoonist from Goa, has made Goans laugh, and reflect, with his detailed cartoons. “As a cartoonist and a Goan, we have been laughing at what politicians have been uttering for years. We have plenty of material to laugh about, things like the coconut tree being called grass or the latest issue of the peacock. Our politicians have been our stand up comedians. I get a lot of matter to draw cartoons based on what they say to the public,” says Alexyz.

Speaking about the prospects of stand up comedy in Konkani, he says, “Tiatrists have not tried this form of comedy and they should first see what type of comedy it is and how they can adapt it. As tiatrists, they have been reaching out to the audience for years and this form has not yet been experimented in tiatr. I am sure they will do a great job if they try their hand at it.”

Konkani film and tiatr personality John D’Silva is famous for his comedy and he asserts that it is the most challenging role to be played. “It is easy to make the audience cry but it is very difficult to make them laugh. I have never tried stand up comedy in Konkani as usually on stage, we prefer to have interactive dialogue between two people. I don’t know how the Konkani audience will react to a Konkani stand up comedian,” says John.

He further adds, “With tiatr, the audience has a whole show, with music, songs, story and comedy. It will not be easy to focus on just one comedian speaking alone on stage for a long time. Even while on stage, we make jokes and gags which are on the spot and situational. While youngsters love this comedy more, it is difficult to say if the new format of stand up comedy in Konkani will work.”

Sheikh Amir has been playing various roles and has mastered the styles of 40 politicians and tiatr singers. He is known for his funny take in the world of mimicry in Goa. “In a crowd of 1,000 people, at least 70 per cent should know who you are portraying on stage with your voice and mannerism. Even while talking to a person, I pick up their tics and how they break their sentences,” says Sheikh Amir, who recently spent a lot to don the avatar of Narendra Modi for his role in the tiatr ‘ICU Bed No. 2’.

When it comes to a solo show to entertain the audience in Konkani for an hour, Sheikh Amir feels that Goans might not be ready for it. “While on stage, I have a 15- to 20-minute role and then a change in costume to put on a new comedy. It will be difficult for a person to do a show with the same costume, playing the same role, when we can be versatile on stage. I also prefer singing, like our great tiatrist M Boyer, Jacint Vaz and H Briton, and that can’t be done without a keyboardist,” explains Sheikh Amir.

Kaif Shaikh of the Goan Comedy Club has been playing an important role in bringing Indian stand up comedians to Goa. They recently organised the auditions for the Goan Comedy Hunt that saw the participation of 35 contestants. “We had all Goan contestants for the auditions and they preferred speaking in English, Hindi and Konkani. However, when the venue was announced, the Konkani comedians switched to English as they wanted to be more comfortable in front of the crowd. The language depends on the audience and how they react with their laughs. Many had written their own jokes and the show was a success,” says Kaif. The next round of the contest will take place in August.

Are we Goans ready to laugh at ourselves? “I don’t think so. Whenever stand up comedians come to Goa for their shows, their material is about them travelling to different places in Goa rather than jokes about Goans. They usually construct jokes around their own culture for the audience,” explains Kaif.

• By Dolcy D’Cruz | 30 Jun, 2017, 08:05AM