Comedian Manpreet Singh is all set to get back on the road with his solo show Sahi Gal Aaa. The comedian has dates lined up in 30 cities across India, and is also travelling to Europe, the United Kingdom and Canada. This is the last time Singh is touring with this show so if you want to catch it live, it’s now or never! We spoke with the comedian to get a quick low-down of what to expect at the show, why he prefers to release his material on YouTube over other platforms and his thoughts on the growing regional comedy scene. Read on to find out what is the first thing the Punjabi comedian eats every time he gets back home from a tour!
1. QUICK! WHAT’S THIS SHOW ABOUT?
It’s an anecdotal show. I share some personal stories from my past and talk about my job experience, the initial days of me doing standup comedy and my first visit to a hotel. They’re jokes about the middle-class life.
2. HOW MANY SHOWS ARE YOU DOING, ACROSS HOW MANY CITIES?
I’m doing 30 cities in India. Then I have six shows in the United Kingdom and Europe. And we’re also putting up 8-10 shows in Canada. This will be the first time I perform there so I’m very excited!
3. HOW LONG DID YOU SPEND WRITING THE SHOW?
I’ve been performing this show for almost four years. It took around two years to write it. It includes some of the bits that I’ve also released on my YouTube channel.
4. IS THIS ALREADY LEADING UP TO A RECORDED SPECIAL FOR A STREAMING PLATFORM?
I’ll be releasing the show on YouTube in the form of 5-6 videos. My subscribers wait very patiently for my videos. They’re the people who have been a part of my journey right from the beginning. It’s unfair to ask them to then go and get another subscription to watch my material. So my idea is to boost my channel a bit so newer audiences can enjoy my comedy and the existing fans get something to watch as well.
5. WHY SHOULD WE WATCH IT LIVE?
Live ka toh apna hi mazza hai. But I also understand that everyone can’t come and see you live. They’re living in a different city or country, the timings don’t match and sometimes they have financial constraints. So they can watch it on YouTube but yes, the real fun is when you watch a standup show live.
6. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE GROWING REGIONAL COMEDY SCENE?
See, I’m performing in cities where people only think of Kapil Sharma when it comes to comedy. Even in those cities I’m getting a good response from the audience. For example, I had put up a show in Firozpur which is a very small city in Punjab. It’s right at the border so it’s already a little difficult to get there. But I thought we’ll give it a shot and put up a 130-seater show. That got sold out in three days so we announced another show which was sold out within a week. We put up a third one and people picked up all the tickets for that one as well. So this is a great motivator for me and it’s also a lot of fun to perform in these smaller towns.
7. WHY ARE YOU CALLING THIS TOUR ‘SAHI GAL AAA’?
When you talk to someone in Punjab and they agree with what you’re saying they instinctively say, “Haan yaar, sahi gal aaa,” like you say, “Sahi baat hai,” in Hindi. And there are jokes in the show that people relate to and say, “sahi gal aaa.” So I thought I’ll just use this phrase as the name of the show.
8. ON A SCALE OF 1 – WTFAMIDOING, HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU?
Nahi, aisa toh kuch nahi hai. As you perform more, you build your confidence. And I’ve performed this show so many times, I know exactly which bits are going to get the loudest laughs.
9. WHEN YOU RETURN FROM YOUR INTERNATIONAL SHOWS, WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU’RE GOING TO EAT?
Kulche chane is one of my favourite dishes. If I come back to Amritsar from anywhere, meri body pehle aa jaati hai lekin meri aatma tab wapas aati hai jab main kulche chane kha leta hoon. That’s when I feel like, okay I’m back home. People have offered me kulchas in New Zealand, Australia, Dubai also but I always refuse. Mera iss cheez se hi bharosa uth jayega agar wahan ka kha lunga toh.
10. WHOSE MUSIC DO YOU HAVE ON LOOP CURRENTLY?
I listen to a Punjabi music only. I listen to a lot of Sidhu Moose Wala but recently I’ve come across a Punjabi singer and writer named Wazir Patar. His vibe is similar to Sidhu paaji‘s so I listen to his music.
You can pick up your tickets for Sahi Gal Aaa here.
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