At the beginning of the year, we at DeadAnt spoke with a bunch of comedy insiders to get a sense of which comedians could have a potentially standout year. One of the names that cropped up frequently in conversation was that of Bengaluru-based comedian Ashwin Srinivas. “I’m going to be uploading a lot of new content in the coming months,” he had said of his 2024 plans. “My YouTube channel is going to be very active this year.” And the comedian is working towards delivering on that promise, announcing a six-city tour of his debut standup special.
Ashwin, whose comedy relies on his deadpan and awkward personality on stage, loves to make honest and edgy observations about the world around him. He says that’s precisely what’s on offer in his latest material. The comedian is slightly nervous, but believes that the energy works in his advantage. Here’s what he had to say about his upcoming tour. Ashwin also let’s us in on his perpetual pre-show companion. Read on to know more!
Quick! What’s this show about?
The show doesn’t have one particular theme currently. I speak about my experiences over the last two years. It’s constantly evolving as I add new jokes and tags while I’m on tour.
How many shows are you doing, across how many cities?
For now I’ve only listed 6-7 major cities. I’ll be adding more dates in coming days. I really enjoy experiencing the different culture and audiences across the country and I’m really looking forward to that.
How long did you spend writing the show?
I would say the last two years. 90 percent of the jokes are based the things that have happened to me in since 2022.
Will you be recording this show and releasing it online?
Not as a whole show. I’m still working on the main bit of the show and it will take a while for it to be ready for recording. But I’ll keep posting the other jokes that I’m adding on the go. They are mainly observational jokes and also good for online release while I’m touring. Even those will be published after they’re a little tighter. But the main bit of the show won’t come out any time soon. That’s going to take a little longer.
Why should we watch it live?
I feel any of standup show is best experienced live. The energy of the performance and audience doesn’t translate when you watch it online. Also, during the live shows you get a more unfiltered and raw performance as opposed to a video where it’s all packaged and rehearsed multiple times. I feel like this particular show will be best experienced in person because I’m going with the flow and also have some dark jokes that people tend to enjoy more in a live setting.
According to you, who would be the ideal plus-one to bring to the live show?
I would actually say plus-two. I’ve always noticed couples or a set of two friends having lesser fun compared to a larger group of friends. That’s why I’ll always say bring more than just a plus-one.
If you had to name the show something, what would it be?
I would probably name it Stag Entry. Mainly because people really enjoy this one joke I have about stag entries that bars and clubs across the country have. So yeah, I would go with Stag Entry Free.
On a scale of 1 – WTFAMIDOING, how nervous are you?
I’m always nervous about something or the other. It could be because I’m performing in a new city or have new material that I am going to test out. But I look at it as a positive because when I’m nervous I put in some extra effort to make sure that everything goes smoothly. So, I would say I’m always at the ‘wtfamidoing’ level because the currently the amount of new content that I try out at every show is a lot.
Which city are you most excited to perform in?
For now I would say Bhubaneswar. I’ve never performed there before this. So I’m looking forward to seeing how the audience and comedy culture is over there.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
I just love coffee. Regardless of how many cups or pots I’ve had earlier in the day, before each show I’ll go to a nearby cafe and have an americano while thinking about the upcoming show to get into the zone. That’s something I do before every show. Whenever I haven’t done that, I’ve noticed that the show doesn’t go as well as I would expect it to.
You can book your tickets for Ashwin’s tour here.
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