A little over a year after touring Europe with his special Homewrecker, Navin Noronha has dusted off his passport and is set to go to the Land Down Under. The comedian will be performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide between 1-4 May. Returning to Australia after five years, Noronha is excited to hit the stages with more experience under his belt and more tricks up his sleeve.
In addition to his Australia shows, Noronha is also making a stop in Singapore before returning to the Motherland for Pride Month. He’s also got an exciting announcement about a festival he’s performing at. And who else is on the bill? Chappelle Roan, Shawn Mendes, A$AP Rocky. Yeah, that’s right. Read on to find out more!
Are you all set for the Australia tour?
When you ask me if I am prepared, yes. The show is ready and material-wise I am all set. I just want to hit the stage and get going. But all of these like other things that have to be taken care of during an international tour is the annoying part. Like, as a brown person who is going to a white country, you have to constantly keep proving that you are worthy of entering their country or something else. That’s a little tiring.
Why did you decide to perform in Australia after the Melbourne International Comedy Festival?
So, we have been trying for years to get into MICF for sure. They have seen me last time also when I toured Melbourne. But there is an embargo of sorts. They had for the longest time done closed room auditions only for OML artists. Which is the truth, I can’t even deny it. That’s what I was told when I was looking to apply. But thankfully last year Daniel [Fernandes] and Azeem [Banatwalla] spoke to the people who are organising the festival.
Gideon, who was the main guy in charge, has left. And it was so funny because Gideon is married to a brown guy. Like, he is gay and he is married to a brown guy. On all aspects I should be the one he should have a soft corner for but he never got me. So now through the Sydney Comedy Festival I hope to get my foot in the door and make some noise and garner some attention.
So, at MICF you can go solo and produce it yourself as well. Which is what Punit Pania and Kashyap Swaroop did. And then you play the club and everything. I want to do it on merit per se. Which is always the case every time I have done something in the past as well. So, I think I deserve it man. Of course, everyone looks at Instagram accounts and followers as a badge of honour. But I have put in the hard work I feel. So, if they see me on stage, they’ll understand where I am coming from. I am bridging that gap in my own way without any godfather in the scene. My own money, my own efforts.
You also toured Europe last year with ‘Homewrecker’. Since then, has the material changed?
A lot, a lot. Because when I went to Europe I did Homewrecker twice or thrice across my 25 days stint in Europe. And because that was my first time in Europe, the idea was to go with the strongest set, with material that is tried and tested. Because of course not everybody in Europe has seen what I do in India. So, the idea was to put my best foot forward.
So, a lot of Homewrecker was testing what I was talking about and incorporating what I learnt into the hour while touring India. And it was quite something. Because what I am talking about in the show—which is about maturing relationships, how queer relationships are difficult in some ways but also easy in some ways, threesomes, open relationships—these are new territories that I am venturing into. And while I was basically touching on them while I was in Europe, I came back fleshed out like full narrative arcs. And even my life has evolved so much since Europe. I think all of that has come into stride.
What was performing in Europe like?
The main learning especially was how unique the circuit in Europe is. How appreciative all the comics are. Everybody hung around to listen to my sets. And then they come back and gave feedback also. Which only happens in Bengaluru or Hyderabad in India. Like the Southern comics are more gung ho and helpful. But otherwise India is very individualistic, right? Thankfully I am surrounded by queer comics who are also opening acts for me. All of them watch the show. They have all seen how it is coming together also.
So now the hour has become largely about how so much stuff is taboo for me as a queer, Catholic, openly gay person in India. And when you talk about certain things how careful you have to be. But also not censor myself too much at same time. Because my agenda has been—one life to live so live it to the fullest and talk about it openly.
How was it different from the Indian scene?
To be honest, I stepped away from the Indian comedy scene in a way. I am okay producing my shows and doing my own stuff. Because again, Europe spoiled me. After having done Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne, Utrecht and all, it was like coming back to a cesspool. That is the word I would use. It was really disappointing. The art has gone for a toss here honestly. I see comics now who are just talking about getting out a reel. No one is talking about the long form art of it. No one is diving deep into the narratives.
Like, when I watch Tarang [Hardikar] I feel very happy. Because I think in the grand scheme of things he is one young comic who is really carving a niche. Otherwise, it’s the same story everywhere. All the comics on a line up are recording 10 minutes. And when I ask if they are recording a set, they would say no, I am just going to record 5 bits for Instagram. I felt like what am I doing being a part of this? So I had to take a step back. Hence from September onwards I was not performing. Because of how dude-bro the nature of comedy has become here—Andrew Schulz inspired. Trans people are not safe in the scene. And they tell me. It’s not like I am making this up. Because we do the queer mics every month. They come and tell me how difficult it is for them to even get a word in when they’re talking in the green rooms. So I am like then I can’t do this.
But cut to going to different cities in other parts of the world, there are one or two queer comics by default in the scene. I am not alone. I am not feeling left out. My stories are not unheard of. I am not a deviant. For the longest time now I’ve been trying to change the narrative associated with us in India. My lifestyle is looked upon as something wrong and rotten. Which is my first battle. I am trying to circumvent that fear that our community is bad. And then I want to be able to tell my stories. Because if they are laughing based on homophobia, then I have not done my job right. There is no empathy here anymore.
Do you have other shows planned for this year?
This year I am touring till August. After the Australia and Singapore shows we have the pride month coming up. So I have to be back in Mumbai for that. But this year it’s very confusing. Trump is making weird decisions. There is a global recession. So I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen honestly. We have a couple of bookings and enquiries already. Let’s see how that goes.
And then I will be going to Europe again. In August I am going to perform at the Sziget festival. It’s a massive comedy festival with artists like Chappell Roan, Charlie XCX, A$AP Rocky, Post Malone on the lineup. And they set up a comedy tent there. So it’s quite exciting to be playing on the side with these artists there.
But with the right wing surging up across the world, it’s going to be very exciting to see how this year proceeds. Like the festival is happening in Budapest. But Hungary has banned Pride marches recently. After doing this for 10 years, openly speaking about my life where I hope that we are changing the world, this is what is happening. It’s just getting worse. And now the Amritsar Pride got cancelled. A very fairly chill city where Pride was never an issue. Punjabis are fairly chill. But now like it has become extremist over there as well. So like, jaye toh jayein kahan? Every part of the world is kind of getting stifled. But we keep doing this. Because that’s the only hope.
In this scenario, do you see yourself tweaking your material more to avoid backlash?
I’m definitely a lot more comfortable talking about certain things outside of India. But what’s interesting is, there are always certain topics that are touchy to those specific countries. Like, I tried a 9/11 joke in Berlin and there was silence. Before the show we were told don’t talk about Gaza. Because it’s a very touchy topic.
Adani is a hot topic in Australia. Because he’s damaged the ecosystem and then basically had goons harass a family. And the guy recently won a case against him. So they hate him. Even last time when I was in Australia, a mention of Adani in an Australian crowd would turn them red from rage. He’s ruined the barrier reef which is one of the biggest ecosystems over there. But you can’t make jokes about aboriginal settlements there. So you always know how to temper your material depending on where you are in the world.
As an Indian comic, I feel we need to tell the world what is happening back home. Because we are being stifled at various levels. It’s funny how every club gives us directives to not talk about politics, religion, parental sex… And I’m thinking, corporates don’t ask us to cut down on material as much as clubs are nowadays. So when we have the advantage of performing overseas, the onus is on us to show the world what we’re going through. Because this art form is all about honesty. There’s no other way apart from looking inwards and then finding material.
With everything happening in the Indian comedy scene, what is the vibe like in green rooms?
Everybody is discussing the same thing. It’s become like when lawyers meet up and discuss a case they’re working on. It’s like that every time we come together in a green room setting. Everybody is like what happened today. Then we’re discussing whether we should take a stand collectively. So much of comedy has now become worrying about what we should and should not say. For me it’s always been easier because I’ve always spoken about myself. My life, my family, my partner, my cat. So it’s somehow easier for me. You have to figure out how you have to temper yourself. Like, by all means we all understand that no one in the scene is doing as much publicly as Kamra does. Politically. For him this material comes more naturally. For most of us it doesn’t.
I’m not a political comic. I’m very much like just anecdotal. Personal observations and stories about my life that I find hilarious. More than most I feel. But sometimes even I get dragged into this. Because it gets on your nerves man. When is the news going to ease up on us essentially. And it just gets tighter and tighter.
We are again worried about how to go about pitching shows. What I really want to write eventually. Everybody does comedy to the point where they become good writers. And then put out their own stuff. But now, if you watch a movie about Savitribai Phule being censored where they don’t even want to mention caste… Do you think I can mention homosexual sex? So it’s very difficult.
We are working on constant actions. How to earn money. At the same time to sustain yourself. To follow your dream. It’s worrying me. So I think now, in the comedy rooms the vibe is a little more revolutionary I feel. Because despite everything we are still going at it. It’s like people are coming to see what’s happening. They are really participating. So I think that’s interesting. We are at a very interesting point in our comedic history.
What are you looking forward to the most during this Australia tour?
When you get outside the Sydney airport, during Mardi Gras, the crosswalks are all rainbow. And I instantly felt at home. Immediately I was like, I can be my queer self here. My manager also noticed there was a change in my gait. I was chirpier.
During tours I also look forward to just meeting people. Because all that introversion kind of has to be thrown out of the window. You just have to be very more on. I’m also excited to go back a little more seasoned. Like in 2020 when I went, I was five years into comedy. Not fully there. But like just had the opportunity. Because I happen to be a brown queer comic. But the experience taught me a lot. Even then I was killing decently. We got like good response.
But now having done way more stage time, having tempered myself way more in terms of my tempo I’m a lot more confident. My cadence is more resolved. I’m calmer on stage. And I’m excited to see other people’s work. Because comedy is just that. You see my work. I see your work. So let’s see how things go.
Get your tickets for Navin Noronha’s Homewrecker here.
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