Comedian Shamik Chakrabarti started his journey at a Thursday open mic at a pub in Bengaluru in 2016, six months after he returned from Tennessee, in the US, the place he labored as an engineer. He got here throughout the open mic on social media. And after attending one in all the mics in the viewers, Shamik mustered the braveness to carry out there the following week. He was the fifteenth and remaining act of the evening — performing in entrance of 4 drunk folks, managing to crack them up simply as soon as, he remembers.
However, that night didn’t discourage Shamik. Instead, he expanded on what labored from his bit and persistently attended open mics in Bengaluru. He gained nationwide consideration in 2022 as a participant on the third version of Comicstaan, along with his deadpan model of supply and seamless writing. And now he’s set to debut his stand-up comedy particular, ‘Despite Appearances’, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one in all the largest festivals for performing arts in the world.
“I consider myself a joke writer rather than someone who approaches comedy with a central theme in mind. ‘Despite Appearances’ is my second or third attempt at putting that into practice. However, over the years, it has evolved into a one-hour special with one half jokes and the other a story which has a connection to the title,” says Shamik over a Zoom name from Mumbai.
A singular voice
“I started performing stand-up without reading much about its dos and don’ts. I was someone who just watched stand-up and was used to telling jokes in schools and colleges,” says Shamik, who believes in being himself on stage.
“I don’t usually jump or shout a lot in real life,” he feedback about his on-stage persona, which hinges on astute observations and relatable anecdotes delivered with a laid-back perspective. “I’ve always performed this way. I believe the performance should feel natural and not feel like a performance,” says the comic.
His early inspirations embody comedians Russel Peters and Conan O’Brien. “In Late Night with Conan O’Brien, I came across a lot of stand-up comedians who would come on the show to do their sets. I also discovered David Letterman, legendary talk-show host and comedian, on the show,” he says.
During his time in the US as a postgraduate scholar and later working there , the engineer found comedians like Demetri Martin and Brian Regan by watching elements of their performances on-line.
“During my time in the US, I was fully focused on my studies and job because you are there on a visa. As an Indian student, you must first find a way to make a living. So even though I was always into comedy, I never thought I would do anything with it,” says Shamik.
For a global crowd
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a three-week competition that includes theatre, comedy, dance, music, and extra, based in 1947 with an goal to make artwork extra democratic. Over the latest years, comedians from India have carried out at a number of editions of the Fringe.
“The Fringe is like a boot camp for comedy. You perform every day for about a month, watch other performers from all over the world, and hopefully get inspired,” says Shamik. “Usually you do three nights of comedy in a row over the weekend, but this is going to be 25 days with a day off in between.”
Earlier this 12 months, Shamik carried out at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia and at the Soho Theatre in London, UK.
Shamik Chakrabarti
“My shows had a mix of Indian and local people in London. So, you must explain certain references that are not universal. For instance, I talk about the PAN card as part of my story, so I add a quick, fun explanation about it.”
Shamik provides, “Stand-up comedy in its current state is an older art form in the West. Since they have been doing it for so many years, you don’t get any disturbance from the crowd there. There is pin-drop silence before the punchlines, and silence is a huge part of comedy. The ideal stand-up audience is the one that listens and waits for your jokes.”
The comic can also be excited to observe Urooj Ashfaq and Prashasti Singh from India take the stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. “It’s nice to have a contingent from India. I have seen bits of their special but not the full shows, and it will be exciting to watch them.”
Moving ahead
Shamik is planning to tour with ‘Despite Appearance’ throughout the nation from September to December. He hopes to do extra sketch comedy along with stand-up. He is at present working on The Cricheads Podcast with comic Siddharth Dhudeja and Broke Studio Podcast with comic Gautham Govindan.
“My only aim is to make people laugh and make myself laugh,” he says.
Watch Despite Appearances by Shamik Chakrabarti at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from July 30 to August 24. Venue: Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower-Eve.
