OFF THE GRID

Miqdaad Dohadwala, the co-founder of VDesi Laughs, a home-grown comedy collective promoting South Asian comics in the region is a standup guy who believes humour is universal. By Shreeja Ravindranathan

Miqdaad Dohadwala, the co-founder of VDesi Laughs, talks about a new wave of comedy that goes far beyond the funny.

Tell us all about why you decided to start VDesi Laughs?

As local comedians, we’d have to wait for an international act to come to town and then beg the organisers to give us an opening spot. So, I figured the only way to get on stage is to create a platform for ourselves and that’s how VDesi Laughs started. We (me and co-founder Amit Asudani) decided to bring down international artists as producers ourselves and the revenue we make goes back into sustaining the fortnightly open mic nights we run.

How did you get into comedy and what’s your style of humour?

I’m originally from Mumbai, where I worked in advertising and handled the Fosters account – Fosters was the largest sponsor of stand-up comedy in India and that’s where I first got a feel for the art form. After I moved here, four years ago, to work in digital marketing at an ad agency in Media City, (still my day job) I started doing stand-up at the Courtyard Playhouse, where we performed at Racy Desi nights – it is now an improv-only night.

How did you get into comedy and what’s your style of humour?

I don’t like putting myself in brackets – sometimes my jokes are observational and sometimes there’s an aspect of physicality or impressions involved. If I had to classify myself, I’d probably just say angry.

Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix Comedy special Nanette has got people questioning and redefining the role of comedy. What is the function of comedy?

I don’t know whether I’d call Nanette a standup special. It was so much more than that. It was by far, the best one-hour performance I’ve seen over the last couple of years. I’ve been doing stand-up for about three years now and I wouldn’t want to be arrogant enough to say that this is what comedy needs to do for the world, the only thing I know is why I do it. The first time someone walked up to me after a show and said, ‘thank you for cheering me up and making me laugh today. I had a terrible day at the office and you fixed that’, that’s all I needed to hear. That’s the function it plays in my life – of attempting to make people laugh and be happy.

What kind of shows does VDesi Laughs organise and where?

As VDesi Laughs we focus on desistyle stand up. We host local shows at R-Adda at the Regent Palace Hotel in Karama, we have a fortnightly open mic night (two Saturdays a month) at The Hive and we host International desi artists at Citymax Hotels and Headlines Café Ibis. My personal favourite venue, which I recommend visiting, is the show at the Hive – it’s an open mic and we pull an audience that’s there only and only for the comedy.

Does Desi comedy refer to comedians from the subcontinent or the brand of humour itself?

For me, Desi comedy refers to both the origin of the comedians who come from South East Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as the content of humour. The presentation style of stand-up as we know it is new for South East Asia, [but as a brand of humour] Desi comedy is now one of the most important torchbearers of free speech. Comedians are not just here to make you laugh, they’re here to make a point about social and political issues; a lot of comics like Kunal Kamra, Daniel Fernandes, Karunesh Talwar and Aditi Mittal speak about things most journalists wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole – this is why desi comedy is picking up in a big way.

What’s a joke’s most powerful component?

The premise, the punchline, strategically timed silence, and tension are three different working parts that need to be assembled together to create a hilarious story.

Is Hinglish, the colloquial term for a blend of Hindi and English, the defining and distinguishing characteristic of desi comedy?

I don’t think so. There are lots of South Asian comics who do perform material in 100 per cent English. I myself have sets that I do for western audiences and Hindi sets for desi nights. But the beautiful thing is, I can use my western set with an Indian audience and it still works as the South Asians who live in the UAE are very fluent English-speakers. Comedy comes from personal experience, so whether you perform in English, French or Hindi you’re telling stories that will eventually tie back to your culture and identity.

Is comedy universal, or does language, cultural references and age affect the appreciation of comedy?

I genuinely believe it is universal. I think the human experience is universal – we all go through things like school and university and relationships, we all have opinions on sports and on politics and that’s what a comic talks about on stage. The nuances and the punchlines may be cultural specific, but the core material and what people find funny is definitely common at some basic level.

Thankfully, the world has come to realise that women are funny. Who are some of the funniest women out there?

In terms of International acts, I absolutely love Gadsby now. Other acts I really enjoy are Ali Wong, Anjelah Johnson and this Danish comic called Sofie Hagen. My current favourite female desi stand-up comics definitely have to be Aditi Mittal, Sonali Thakker, Neeti Palta and Sumukhi Suresh. I think they’re all brilliant!

What’s the one joke or topic that’s been done to death and now needs to retire? Comedians that start with ‘Any Gujaratis in the house’ should just stop.

Any thoughts on what has caused the sudden popularity and demand for stand-up in the UAE?

It’s going to get even bigger! Now that the local scene is building up, we’re starting to see more and more venues adopt a comedy night in their weekly programmes. Plus, live performance venues such as Pizza Express Live and Headlines Café Ibis also help the scene strengthen. Other than that, I genuinely believe that people in the UAE have begun to see stand-up comedy as a viable option for weekend entertainment. After all how many brunches can you go to?