Going for open mics is always a gamble. You could come across an artist who you’re going to obsess over for the coming months or count the hair on your head as you pluck one out after the other. Thankfully, earlier this year when I went for an open mic, I came across Anish Goregaonkar’s material and I was hooked. The comedian’s fresh insights on the classic Bollywood remake of ET—Koi Mil Gaya and Harry Potter made it the best set of the night.
Since then, Goregaonkar has climbed the ranks, putting together his debut solo hour—both in Hinglish and Marathi. The comedian has been extremely busy, juggling his shows in both languages, and being present at at least one comedy club every night. The comedian is currently performing his Marathi-language show Halkat. His next performance is in November. That gives you ample time to familiarise yourself with his content before you go check out the real deal.
Read on to know more about how Goregaonkar performed with a traffic signal as his cue (talk about running the light), why the best show of his life was the worst experience for the audience and a premise he thinks should be banned from Indian comedy clubs.
WHAT WORDS HAVE PEOPLE USED TO DESCRIBE YOUR COMEDY?
For the material that I’ve put out both on Instagram and YouTube, one of the most common comments that I get is that my content is fresh. It’s something new and aisa kabhi socha nahi tha. That feels great. And once a comic had said that every joke of mine is like the Hangover movie—it starts with something very relatable and cute and ends in the most horrible way. I think that’s the perfect description of my writing style.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE SCENE RIGHT NOW?
I like how volatile and accessible it is. Anybody can upload content right now and it could go viral. They’ll get a following out of that and then they can put up their own shows. That’s the best part about the standup scene right now. It’s also increased the competition because of which everyone is working a lot harder too. That’s great to see.
HOW MANY MINUTES DO YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW?
Currently I have 70 minutes of material. That’s in Hindi and English. I also perform in Marathi and I have an hour of material there too.
A RECENT BIT YOU SAW THAT BLEW YOUR MIND?
Recently I discovered Josh Blue. (I know, very surprising if you haven’t heard of him.) He has this bit about the perks of being disabled. It’s so good.
YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE INDIAN COMEDIAN?
I wouldn’t say favourite because I like a lot of Indian comedians and a lot of them are my friends, so you can’t really do that (laughs). But one Indian comic I would love to watch right now is Maheep Singh. I’ve been his fan since 2018, not since his viral moments this year, and he has always been great—back then and even now. But now he has got his following and I think it would be a treat to watch him live.
YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE INTERNATIONAL COMEDIAN?
My favourite international comedian is Anthony Jeselnik (thank you so much for bringing him to India). But currently I’ve also been enjoying this comedian named Ismo’s work. He’s from Finland. Whoever hasn’t heard of him should check out his work.
AN INDIAN COMEDY BIT ON YOUTUBE YOU’VE SEEN AT LEAST FIVE TIMES?
Anirban Dasgupta’s Afreen Afreen bit. I think that’s my favourite bit by an Indian standup comedian. It’s so well though out. So well written. He’s used everything from that song in the bit. I’ve shown it to so many people as well.
AN INDIAN COMIC YOU THINK IS UNDERRATED?
I would actually say myself (laughs). But in all seriousness, there’s this comedian named Sagar Punjabi. Every time I see him on stage I think—why hasn’t he gone viral yet? I have never seen him tank or bomb in the last two years, I think. He’s so fresh to watch. I can’t wait for people to discover him.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS BEFORE YOU GO ON STAGE?
I’m not really superstitious, so aisa kuch ritual nahi hai. I just switch on my audio recorder before going up, that’s it.
WHICH SONGS DO YOU HAVE ON LOOP RIGHT NOW?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Indian hip-hop right now to pump myself up. And I listen to everybody—Seedhe Maut, Badshah, Karma. Mera koi diss track wala hisaab nahi hai. One song I really like right now is Pankha Fast by Shreyas. He’s the same guy who sang the Taambdi Chaamdi which is going viral.
WHAT’S THE FIRST JOKE YOU PERFORMED THAT GOT A LAUGH?
I started doing standup in 2018. On 13 October that year to be very precise. I was very nervous and shy. I was a pretty introverted guy. Toh main aisa stage pe jaata tha as an uncomfortable guy. And I had an opening line which went—My name is Anish Goregaonkar but I’m from Malad. It’s a very stupid joke but the first time I performed I got an applause on that line. I still don’t know why.
WHAT MODE OF TRANSPORT DO YOU USE TO GET TO A SHOW?
Train, metro, auto. Whatever is convenient. But my favourite mode of transport is taking lifts from other comics who have a car.
WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST PLACE YOU’VE PERFORMED AT SO FAR?
Footpath pe perform kiya tha maine chaar logon ke liye. There was this momo company who wanted to promote their venue. They had sold a total of four tickets and eight momos. They had asked me to perform at their space but they didn’t have one. The outlet was on the street. They asked me to put up chairs on the footpath and perform there. I was literally waiting for the signal to turn red so I could deliver the punchlines. Jab green hota tha and the honking used to start, I used to keep setting up the joke. Surprisingly I did well at that show, I have no idea how. Another one was, I performed in the basement of a society for the secretary and his friends. They were all 60-70 year-old uncles.
HAVE YOU EVER PERFORMED A SHOW WHILE HIGH?
Yes I have and I think that was the best show of my life. And the worst one of the audience’s lives. Thankfully it was just a spot. I had no idea I had to go up on stage like that. I went and it was… bahut hi kharaab. I had no idea what I was saying. I promised myself never to do that again after that day.
WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED SO FAR ABOUT BEING A COMEDIAN?
Somebody had told me long time ago ki agar tu life mein effort nahi marega toh tujhe itna hi milega jitna kisi effort marnewale ne chhod diya hai tere liye. That really hit home for me.
ONE THING INDIAN COMEDIANS SHOULD STOP JOKING ABOUT?
Main engineer hoon. This premise should be banned. I think that entire subject of being an engineer, which is why I’m single, I can’t find a girl. I think we’ve done every version of it. If someone brings a fresh perspective I’ll be very happy. But I think as of now that subject is just done to death.
WHICH CITY IS YOUR FAVOURITE TO PERFORM IN?
I haven’t done my India tour till now toh mujhe pata nahi hai. But wherever I’m able to sell tickets that will be the best city to perform in.
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