As he gears up for his first-ever nationwide solo standup tour across 10 cities, we ask Ashish Shakya some very quick questions to help you decide which friends to make your weekend plans with. 

1. What’s this show about?

Lots of topics! Funny, relatable, ridiculous, goofy shit! I touch upon everything from nostalgia to terrorism, Bollywood, romance, babies, satire, stepmoms and the futility of existence! Sorry4ExclamationParty! ManyCaffeineInMe!

2. How many shows are you doing across how many cities? Across how many months?

Nine cities, 13 shows, across two months starting 13 July.

3. How long has it taken you to come up with this material?

Shak Attack has been in the works for the last two years or so, with different bits making it to the hour at various stages. So some stuff in there is about two years old, other bits about six months or so.

4. Is this leading up to a recorded special for Amazon or Netflix? When is that scheduled to release?

It will be filmed and released online, yes, but corporate ninja assassins prevent me from revealing more at this stage.

5. Why should we watch it live?

Honestly, that’s the best way to consume stand-up. So much fun to get caught up in waves of laughter that are never quite replicated at home. Plus I’m way hotter in person.

6. Is it “woke”?

That’s a label I’d leave for others to slap on, much like ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ or ‘Duchess Of Kent’.

7. The other half of AIB-Lite is also on the road with his first nationwide solo standup tour. Is yours better than Joshi’s?

I’d say between me and Joshi, the better special belongs to Mike Birbiglia.

8. Is this thing gonna have any political jokes?

Maybe. You gotta come watch to find out. #AshishShakya2024

9. Do you still feel bullied?

Only by the voices in my head.

10. On a scale of 1-WTFAMIDOING, how nervous are you about this?

On any given day, I’m somewhere between ‘Okay this is funny, I can’t wait for people to watch!’ and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN A LESS STRESSFUL CAREER LIKE BOMB DEFUSAL EXPERT OR SOMETHING

NOTE TO FANS: If you’ve seen MojoMaximus or Scratchpad then you’ve seen most of the show in its trial form. So come if you haven’t, or send your gang. Get your tickets here: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Gurgaon, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore.