What in the world is Kunal Kamra up to? It’s a question that Indian comedy fans find themselves asking quite often, ever since the incorrigible satirist and comedian went into hermit mode a few years ago, only popping up to do the occasional show or to release decidedly non-comedy content on his YouTube page. Freelance journalist Faye D’Souza tracked the elusive comedian down for a 40-minute chat, released on YouTube two days ago, that finally offers us an answer. Here are some of the key takeaways from that long, intimate conversation.

He’s Moved Out of Mumbai

You might be wondering why you don’t spot Kamra at your local open mics any more. It might have something to do with the fact that the comedian has moved to Pondicherry after spending most of his life in Mumbai. It’s been two years and four months since he’s shifted base and he’s enjoying himself so much, he doesn’t have a permanent Mumbai address anymore. For the foreseeable future, Kamra’s base camp will be down South.

He’s Become a Farmer Now

With his move, Kamra also added some other skills to his resume, the most interesting one being farming. “Comedy is like a language, you can’t just quit it,” he tells D’souza. So he’s obviously hitting the stage whenever he can but a large chunk of his time goes into “understanding agriculture”. It took him a year to zone in on what kind of farming interested him, but now that that’s out of the way, Kamra has dived deep into the soil. Quite literally.

His Opinion on the Indian Comedy Scene

“It’s not bad at all,” he says. “People are doing great work and super money.” But his major gripe with the current system is that every comedian must be spending at least an hour a day thinking of jokes they can’t do on stage due to the intense scrutiny with which a comic’s work is perceived. There’s an ever-present apprehension present in everyone’s mind while putting out any kind of joke. “I think people [need to] start understanding that comedy is just about offering a unique perspective and getting a laugh. It’s not about insulting or putting someone’s culture, religion or idea, likes, dislikes down. But we’ll take time to get to there.”

How He’s Dealt With The Backlash He’s Faced

Kamra’s faced a lot of ups and downs in his career trajectory. He was never a good student, went into advertising after his 12th grade and quit at the age of 28 to pursue standup comedy full time. Since then, Kamra’s material has landed him in hot water multiple times. “But I don’t look at any of this as a failure or success,” he says. “I look at it from the lens of a comedian. Whatever happens to you, will be painful now and funny later. […] I just look at it as unique experiences no other comedian would have.”

A Bank Employee Doxxed Him

While talking about the various death threats and FIRs that have been levied against him, Kamra reveals that a bank employee made his personal address and phone number available to the public.

Does He Ever Regret Doing Political Comedy?

Kamra says he takes inspiration from the comedians he looks up to. One of them is Doug Stanhope who says, “The life you lead, is the art you create.” So, no. He doesn’t regret doing what he does. At the same time, he doesn’t blame comedians who take aim at the same old topics—mother-in-laws, flight food, Ubers. This is the life they are leading. And they might shy away from doing political content, but you can’t blame them with what’s happening in the country, can you?

Would He Still Ask A Certain Someone Questions If He Ran Into Them On An Aircraft?

“I think every three years, you add to your vocabulary or thoughts as a person,” says Kamra. But none of those thoughts are going to stop him from asking Arnab Goswami questions if they chance upon each other. “Because the thing is that, the kind of impact you [as Goswami] are creating and the dents you are putting in society—people are in jail because of you, they’ve been shot at, they don’t have the freedom of movement—it’s clearly with malice that you’re doing this. You should get a dose of your own medicine every once in a while, right?”

How Do His Parents Deal With It?

“They’re very spiritual, they’re very chill,” he says. “They won’t tell me what to do, what not to do.” They’ve always been supportive of their child—whether it was his decision to not pursue education after the 12th, to quit his full-time job and become a standup comedian or to go after the establishment. They just chose to stay away from it. The only time they will speak up is when it relates to his health.

How Has Life Changed In Pondicherry?

Firstly, there’s more than enough room on a two-acre plot of land. Begone the tiny apartments of Mumbai. Also, with the move he’s forgotten the sweltering heat that comes with living in the city of dreams. But the biggest change is his daily routine and screen-time. Kamra has become an early riser and sleeper and has realised no screen time early in the day and late in the night is the secret to healthy brain. In a nutshell, he says he’s retired because he isn’t doing anything that he doesn’t enjoy. “I’m happily retired,” he says.

His Relationship With Money

“It’s just a resource to me,” says Kamra. For him, it’s just like water or food. You can’t really live without it but you don’t need to focus all your energy on it. But it’s also the most respectable addiction in our country, according to the comedian. Similarly, material things can only go so far to make you feel better. So he’s not seeking any worldly pleasures. All we know is he likes his Skoda Rapid so much that he’s got the same car in a different colour. This time with a Gaana app.

He Has Decided He Can’t Do A Standup For A Living

Though we’re not too happy about it, Kamra does admit during the interview that although he loves standup and will continue performing, it isn’t what he looks towards to earn his daily wage. “There was a point, Faye, where I realised that I can’t do this for a living. I can do standup because I like to do standup, but it can’t be my source of income, source of livelihood and my only identity,” he said. Kamra did continue to say that his favourite comedians hit their sweet spot in their late forties and that that was something he looked forward to, so, fingers crossed!

He Shared His Thoughts On The International Circuit

Kamra talked up the international circuit as a good circuit to perform, speaking about the large crowds that turn up for shows by Indian comedians abroad because they yearn for a taste of home. DeadAnt covered the rise of the international circuit last year, and we believe there is some weight to his claim! The comedian went on to say that despite the allure of ticket sales, it stings that he can’t perform as easily in his hometown. He also said that he may even hit the international circuit next year, so keep your eyes peeled international Kamra fans!

He Has Added A New Feather To His Cap—Directing

In a Reddit AMA in 2018, Kamra had mentioned that a life goal of his was to make one documentary a year. It looks like he can tick that one off the list for now, because this year he directed The Dark Side Of The Indian Start-Up Ecosystem, a documentary about the gig economy in India. The comedian has two more documentaries on the way as well!