Yash Rathi is hitting the road, taking his show Dil Chahta Hai to Noida, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune between August and September. The comedian hints at this show being somewhat dark and gritty so prep accordingly—drop your baby off at a friend’s place. Rathi’s confidence levels are through the roof right now and he’s having the time of his life. No, seriously. He’s brimming with confidence. Like, he’s mind-numbingly high on confidence and we’re here for it. But don’t take our word, let him explain it to you with a unique genie analogy. Yeah, all the way at the bottom of the interview! Read through.

QUICK! WHAT’S THIS SHOW ABOUT?

The show is about a college love story, with a lot of dark and gritty segments.

HOW MANY SHOWS ARE YOU DOING, ACROSS HOW MANY CITIES?

I try to do shows every weekend in different cities. The goal is to hit every major city as consistently as I can.

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HOW LONG DID YOU SPEND WRITING THE SHOW?

The writing process is never-ending. Even if I release it on a streaming platform someday, I’d still hate myself for not perfecting it. And it can never be perfected. You just keep getting better and you start hating your older jokes. Then you replace your older jokes with newer, better jokes. To sum it up in one line, the writing process is like having your last cigarette. You’re convinced that you’re done after this smoke, but the loop jeeps on going.

IS THIS ALREADY LEADING UP TO A RECORDED SPECIAL FOR A STREAMING PLATFORM?

When the Indian audience is ready for the dark and messed up jokes, the full special will be released on YouTube.

WHY SHOULD WE WATCH IT LIVE?

First of all, standup comedy is a live art form. YouTube is just a gimmick for us to sell tickets. So many great comics can’t make it on YouTube. And that’s painful to watch. When you watch a show live, you feel the energy of the comic, you feel a deeper connection with the comic and it makes the whole experience very pleasant. Plus for my live shows, half the shit I say can’t ever go on YouTube. So watching it live is the only option.

ACCORDING TO YOU, WHO WOULD BE THE IDEAL PLUS-ONE TO BRING TO THE LIVE SHOW?

Anyone who genuinely wants to watch a comedy show and enjoys dark comedy is a good plus-one to have. Plus your plus-one will appreciate your taste in comedy after watching the show.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME ‘DIL CHAHTA HAI’?

Honestly, I don’t know the reason myself. Drop some show name suggestions if you have any.

ON A SCALE OF 1 – WTFAMIDOING, HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU?

I’m never nervous. I don’t get on the stage to please anyone. I do it because I like doing it, and I don’t give a single flying f*ck if the audience doesn’t enjoy it (which almost never happens). I spent time writing jokes and I’m constantly putting in an effort to improve my bits. So, there is no scope for being nervous when you’re confident about your material. As long as the audience is receptive, they’ll have a good time.

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?

I’m working on a lot of different things. Y’all will find out soon. Don’t wanna jinx it, so I won’t tell.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR CURRENT STANDUP EXPERIENCE?

I enjoy everything about standup. From traveling to different cities to performing for different audiences and meeting them after the show. Agar mere saamne genie aa jayega, toh mai usse uski wish puchunga, kyunki meri toh saari poori ho chuki hain. (If a genie appears in front of me, I’ll ask it what its wish is because all of mine have been fulfilled.)