Aditi Mittal,
Stand-up Comic
Q. How did you start writing comedy and how did your stand-up routines happen?
A. When I got my first laugh at an ‘open mic night’, I knew I wanted to do this for life. There’s something vulnerable about laughter; it signifies camaraderie and I feel blessed that people would share it with me. Q. How do you test your stand-up material? A. I try it out on my poor, unsuspecting friends. I still attend ‘open mic nights’ to find out if my new material works. Q. What’s your favourite joke? A. Did you hear about the dyslexic devil worshipper? He sold his soul to Santa... Q. How brave do you have to be to stand in front of strangers and make them laugh in a few seconds? A. On a scale of brave to suicidal, I think it comes along the lines of stupid. Kidding! At the end of the day, it’s just you and a mic stand. It can be fairly daunting and intimate. Q. Your favourite local comedians? A. Sorabh Pant is superb, he’s a maniac on stage! Anuvav Pal is a bloody rockstar and his commentary on emerging India is so true. Kunal Rao’s mastery with words is inspiring.