My aim is not to change the world, says Rahul Subramanian
Hailing from Chembur, “the posh part of Mumbai”, comedian Rahul Subramanian has referred to his place of residence as part of a Hollywood movie — “Harry Potter and the Chembur of Secrets”. His brand of droll humour also covers jokes about the monorail — “the 2 billion dollar investment that covers lesser distance than Michael Jackson’s moonwalk”.
But the 34-year-old, who grew up reading Chacha Chaudhary comics, never thought about pursuing his art professionally. “In 2013, I didn’t know stand-up comedy would even be considered a profession in India. My first exposure to the field was Russell Peters and then The Great Indian Laughter Challenge,” says the comedian.
How, then, does a former brand manager for a car manufacturer turn to tickling the funny bone for a living? “I was working in a corporate job and it wasn’t that much fun. So, I was looking for something to do after work that would make me feel good about myself. I had seen a few stand-up shows and I said to myself, ‘let’s try it just for fun’. But my first show, in May 2014, wasn’t funny at all. It had some jokes about Rahul Gandhi and my name. But I wasn’t in it for the money because I had a full-time job then,” says Rahul.
And he has come a long way since. From joking about the convincing power of advertisements to Indian parents’ obsession with naming their kids from the letter A and even lingerie, Rahul’s comedy seldom has a larger-than-life message. Ask him about it, and he says, “My first aim, as a comic, is to put out content that I find funny. My aim is not to change the world or send a message or even drive a point home. I strongly believe that I should feel for a cause and know enough about it before talking about it.” He goes on to share that one cause that he is passionate about is the issue of hunger. He says, “There is no one cause that is more important than the other. For me, this is a very private matter and I try not to speak about this in the public space.”
Ask him about his tryst with Maximum City and Rahul says, “It’s my city. The best thing about Mumbai is that it is a city which is made up of people coming from different parts of the country who are also trying to find their way. It’s a cosmopolitan in the truest sense. It’s a fast-paced life. Everyone struggles so much to find their space that people empathise more with each other here than in any other part of the country. No one feels that they completely belong here but they do live here. No one feels like they own it, and yet they’re a part of it.”
And like all other Mumbaikars, Rahul “would never consider moving to another city in India”. “It’s a very cramped city and with more and more people coming into this ‘land of opportunity’, Mumbai is getting more polluted and populated. Apart from this, littering is a major problem. People still spit and urinate on the road. But I know this can change and it will,” he concludes.
Mumbai is a cosmopolitan in the truest sense. It’s a fast-paced life. Everyone struggles so much to find their space that people empathise more with each other here than in any other part of the country.
RAHUL SUBRAMANIAN,
COMEDIAN