One of Chennai’s most celebrated comics Manoj Prabakar, part of Evam Standup Tamasha—South India’s largest comedy “movement”—is on tour now with his special, I Tried. We asked the ex-engineer some very quick questions to get you some deets, so you can make an informed decision about what kind of friends you want accompanying you to the show.

1. What is this show about?

This show is about me trying my very best to make my audience laugh for more than an hour by mostly talking about things that I didn’t want happen to me, but they ended up happening anyway.

2. How many shows have you done across how many cities?

Currently doing Round 3 of this show, by end of which I would have done 18 shows across 11 cities.

3. How long did it take you to come up with this material?

It’s a compilation of all my content from the last two years. That said, the content is growing and getting better after every show and I am eager to see the final version of it myself.

4. Are you recording the show?

Yes of course, the plan is to record the show later. But I am not sure where it will be released. We will know when it happens.

5. Why should we watch it live?

If you have seen my work online and liked it, then this show is mostly of similar quality and you will like it. And some of the content might not be released online. Also we need to pay the venue rent.

6. Is it “woke”?

I am still learning about the concept of ‘being woke’. So, it’s up to the listener to decide. But I mostly try to keep my content gender neutral. If it doesn’t feel like it then ya, ‘I TRIED’!

7. What’s the best response you’ve received for this show till now?

I have heard comments like relatable and believable. And I think I will agree with that.

8. Does this hour have MORE engineering jokes?

No. My engineering bit was my first standup set that I wrote four or five years ago. So I’m done with that topic. But you never know!

9. You got a lot of flak last year from fans of actor Mahesh Babu, who used to call you after 9 pm to troll you because you made jokes about him. Has that stopped?

Very rarely they do nowadays. But for more insight about this, you can watch my show to find out.

10. Do you talk about your favourite Chetan Bhagat book in this special?

No. I don’t have anything against Mr. Chetan Bhagat 🙂

Buy tickets to Manoj Prabakar’s show I Tried here. Note to fans: The Chennai show, originally scheduled for 11 August 2019 has been postponed. Watch for updates.