Hyderabad-based comedian Saikiran is touring three (!!!) shows—Pure Veg Jokes, Nearly Nice Guy and Matrimania—across 6 cities in India. The comedian will be bringing his brand of verbose clean comedy to spots across the South from 1 July till Independence Day. We’re always here for Saikiran’s eccentricities. He’s a comedian who can tell you the exact number of times he’s performed each of his shows. How do we know? Well, he told us. And now, we’ll tell you. Here’s everything you need to know about the delicate balancing act that is juggling three shows. If that weren’t enough, he also confidently hints at a fourth!
QUICK! WHAT’S THIS SHOW ABOUT?
Nearly Nice Guy is me recounting anecdotes from my childhood and teenage years where I highlight my relationship with my parents and try to understand why I am the way I am. Is it the genes or the lack of means? This show will spill the beans.
HOW MANY SHOWS ARE YOU DOING, ACROSS HOW MANY CITIES?
I have three separate shows Pure Veg Jokes, Nearly Nice Guy and Matrimania. It’s pretty much a continuously ongoing tour. I’ve done 61, 43 & 25 performances of the shows, respectively. I would love to do at least 100 each.
HOW LONG DID YOU SPEND WRITING THE SHOW?
[Nearly Nice Guy] was supposed to be launched and toured in early 2020 but a minor global incident delayed it by a couple of years and that gave me time to write it better.
IS THIS ALREADY LEADING UP TO A RECORDED SPECIAL FOR A STREAMING PLATFORM?
No plans as yet, but yeah, I’m open to all offers. <laughs>
WHY SHOULD WE WATCH IT LIVE?
Because no streaming platform has bought it yet and your only option to watch it is live. The snippets I may release on YouTube will never be able to replicate the feeling of watching it live.
ACCORDING TO YOU, WHO WOULD BE THE IDEAL PLUS-ONE TO BRING TO THE LIVE SHOW?
For Pure Veg Jokes bring your family, especially your siblings. For Nearly Nice Guy please bring your parents. And for Matrimania bring anyone who is putting pressure on you to get married; your parents, the neighbourhood aunty or your boyfriend or girlfriend. Whichever show you’re coming for, please don’t bring your little children. Clean comedy doesn’t mean kids’ comedy.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME ‘NEARLY NICE GUY’?
It was a joke in my viral video. So, I repurposed it into my show name.
ON A SCALE OF 1 – WTFAMIDOING, HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU?
I am not really nervous about the shows. I have been doing them constantly and usually getting good laughs. But I am nervous about other things, like venues, setup, flights, rain, cabs, traffic and—in some cities where English comedy isn’t popular—sales!
YOU’RE CURRENTLY TOURING WITH THREE DIFFERENT SHOWS. HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK? PLEASE EXPLAIN!
I’m definitely inspired by doyens like Aakash Mehta and Punit Pania who have done this before. The three shows are completely different 90-minute sets with only one small joke that appears in all three (a kind of meta joke for myself and repeat audiences). Having different shows helps get more repeat audiences. Some watch one show and bring their friends to a different one. My hope is even if they feel that the show is not worth watching again, they should feel I am worth watching again. By the way, I am soon adding a fourth show called Saikiran Checks In to the tour package.
MOMENT OF TRUTH—DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE AMONG THE THREE SHOWS?
I like all three. Audiences are always divided. Everyone has their own favourite based on which stage of life they’re in and which show they find relatable.
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