Herald Café: What does the Weirdass Pajama Clubsmash
concept aim to achieve?
Vir Das: The show aims to give the audience a
taste of the comedy that we at Weirdass and the Pajama Festival stand for. And
at another level, it gives us an opportunity to understand what kind of comedy
the community here appreciates and helps us serve that need.
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HC: Tell us a little bit about each of
the entertainers.
VD: Amogh is head of content at Weirdass,
and as I keep telling him, he is the funniest Maharashtrian I know. Neville is
a fantastic performer, with brilliant energy on stage and great stage presence.
Radhika Vaz is extremely hilarious and very relevant. Indian stand-up comedy
needs more voices like hers. It’s a very unique brand of comedy.
HC: Where on the scale of receptive
audiences (without patronising us) does Goa feature?
VD: I think Goa has a very receptive
audience that is hungry for comedy, and it’s only a matter of time before
stand-up comedy becomes part of the regular set of entertainment that is
available in Goa. Comedians themselves love to come and perform in Goa.
HC: How can the state develop as a venue for
stand-up?
VD: I think the most important thing is for venues
– that is pubs, clubs, bars, cafés – to understand that stand up is a viable
form of entertainment, if people take the time to invest in it. Compared to
other forms of entertainment, the set-up costs are fairly low. It’s just that
one needs to take time and be patient, and it will develop excellently in the
future. Given Goa’s location and reputation it makes for an excellent
destination for stand-up.
HC: How can the state develop its own
stand-up comedians?
VD: I’m not sure if I can truly give you a
straightforward answer. As any art form and industry needs the space and means
to grow, naturally, stand-up comedy in Goa is still in its early stages. To me,
the tried-and-tested way is putting yourself out there, honing your skill,
constantly editing and re-editing your material, and making sure your voice is
original. To me, nothing can come in your way if you know that your content and
your voice is 100% a representation of you.
HC: Would there be a spot for them on the
Weirdass roster?
VD: Always. I’m constantly looking to work
with fresh talent, and I would love to work with a fresh voice from Goa because
this has hardly been explored in the current stand-up circuit.
Weirdass Pajama Clubsmash will take
place at Ravindra Bhavan Margao, at 8 pm today, March 18, 2017
