Comedian Siddhartha Shetty really hates avocados. Like, really hates them. One look at his Instagram page is enough for people to learn just how much he loathes the oily American fruit. But just in case the message was not loud and clear, Shetty has gone ahead and named his latest solo show Phak You Avacado. He began touring with the show last year and has announced dates in Mumbai and Hyderabad in the coming weeks, with a lot more cities to follow.

The comedian, whose rants on Instagram have gone viral time and again, wants to let his followers know that standup is his first love. “I want to give the audience more than what I am on Instagram,” Shetty told us. “They only see me as a fruit. But I’m a standup comedian. This is the real me.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Siddhartha Shetty, the comedian and his latest solo show.

Quick! What’s this show about?

It’s a show based on my experiences. It’s an observational hour where I talk about the little things I notice around me, Bollywood, my initial years of starting standup in 2017. I don’t talk about anything particular in the show.

Why are you calling this show ‘Phak You Avacado’?

It’s just a reference to what I do on Instagram. There’s no particular thought behind.

How many shows are you doing, across how many cities?

Currently I just have Mumbai and Hyderabad listed but I definitely want to do a lot more shows. It’s not yet planned properly but Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Thane are places I’ll schedule performances. I did a couple of shows in Virar and Mira Road recently. Trying to explore those markets as well.

How long did you spend writing the show?

I’ve been doing it for a year now. Before that I had some jokes obviously, but I built on that material and got here.

Will you be recording this show and releasing it online?

I already have some bits recorded. I’m trying out new material as well that I plan to put out on YouTube this year. Long form content bhi daalna hai. So, let’s see how it goes.

Why should we watch it live?

It’s always better to watch standup live because when an artist puts their standup online, it’s like an exam for them. They’ve prepared the bit for years. They’re aware of the camera, the words will be measured, everything will be planned. But in a live performance, a lot of things can be spontaneous. Koi joke aa gaya, audience interaction ho gaya that can be incorporated in the joke. You get to see the artist vulnerable on stage. It’s a lot more fluid. In a recording they know when to pause, exactly what words to say.

On a scale of 1 – WTFAMIDOING, how nervous are you?

I’m always a little nervous. Because I always try to add something new to the show. I’ll find a new topic to joke about. But I also feel like I perform a lot better when I’m nervous.

According to you, who would be the ideal plus-one to bring to the live show?

Human beings should come. As long as they are over 16, just come, yaar.

How are Pakya and the Zen Estilo?

They are great, yaar. Pakya has an amazing career. He’s getting his Formula 2 license revised. And the Zen Estilo, we’ve revamped it. We’ve only just installed nitro boosters.

Which foreign language series is your father currently binge-watching?

Arre, papa ne khud ko koi language shuru kar diya hai. Amazon and Netflix-wale came over day-before-yesterday, asking my dad to stop what he was doing. They were begging him because their engineers were quitting. Kuch bhi dekhte hain woh. He challenged the AI only.