Despite his self-proclaimed aalas, Karunesh Talwar has been a busy boy in recent months. The Mumbai comedian is currently touring across the US and Australia with his show Adrak Ka Swaad (which, as he told Deadant, he considers his best set so far). Given how much we loved his last special—2021’s Aalas, Motaapa and Ghabraahat—that sounds like very exciting news. While we wait for our friendly neighbourhood stoner-comedian to schedule some more dates in India, here’s a quick roundup of some of his best bits so far.

Fairness Creams

One of the first videos he put up on YouTube, Fairness Creams is an old school rant routine. The bit is about fairness cream advertisements that cater to India’s obsession with white skin. Alongside the tight writing, Talwar’s strongest skill is his rat-a-tat delivery, which brings a perfect joke-to-laugh balance to his sets.

Arranged Marriage

This bit from his debut Amazon special Pata Nahi Par Bolna Hai takes aim at arranged marriages, and how they enable the most toxic aspects of Indian patriarchy. Talwar drops truth bomb after truth bomb, leaving the men in his audience feeling visibly uncomfortable, though he’s careful to let the pressure vent with a carefully timed punchline. Before starting the cycle off again. Not recommended for mama’s boys and men’s rights activists.

Swiggy

We all have our vices, those habits or addictions we can’t let go of. For Talwar, that vice is his addiction to Swiggy. In this clip from his second special Aalas Motaapa Ghabraahat, the comedian talks about his hedonistic food-ordering routine in self-excoriating detail, ending with an anecdote about how the food delivery app was endangering his romantic relationship (which, by the way, is the emotional core of the whole special). Watch on to hear the tale of Swiggy the sautan.

Masterchef

Five years ago, Masterchef Australia contestant Nidhi Mahajan went viral on the Indian internet for touching the judges’ feet in respect after she was eliminated. Points for sanskaar, for sure, but Talwar has an axe to grind with Nidhi, or rather with a particular dish she chose to serve up on one of the world’s most popular cooking competition shows: the humble bhajiya. That sets the stage for five minutes of irate bhajiya-related punchlines, and some very on-point Australian accents.

Stuff About Bollywood

Last but not the least, here’s another wildly popular bit Talwar clip. The comedian is in full “grinds my gears” mode as he takes aim at Koi Mil Gaya, Rakesh Roshan’s attempt at recreating the magic of Steven Spielberg’s ET. Roshan, in particular, comes in for some solid hits. But the star of the show is Talwar’s interpretation of Jaadu as a galaxy-trotting stoner (why else would the first place he visits on Earth be Himachal Pradesh?) who fixes children’s basketball matches in his spare time. This is Talwar at his crankiest best.