Comedian Praveen Kumar is back with a brand new special titled Family Man Returns. Dubbed as the second part to his 2020 special Mr. Family Man (available on Amazon Prime Video) the new Tamil-language special includes riffs on the struggles and domestic dilemmas faced by the common man. From narrowing down on the perfect school for your child to dealing with the challenges of moving cities, Praveen’s new hour promises to be equal parts funny and relatable. The comedian just returned from Canada and is currently touring India with the show before flying to Europe to perform in Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin and Munich in March. With almost a decade’s worth of experience, Praveen has a lot of knowledge to offer about performing overseas, what to focus on while starting out on your standup journey and how important it is to have some nervous energy before every performance.

What’s ‘Family Man Returns’ about?

I used to a show called Family Man in 2019. This is kind of a part two of that show. The shows aren’t related but I wanted to explore the idea of a family man again. This show mainly focuses on my move from Bengaluru to Chennai during the pandemic. That’s the major crux. But it also includes insights about the Bengaluru lifestyle, looking for schools in Chennai for my daughter and the admission process and renting houses.

How Is ‘Family Man Returns’ Different From The Previous Show?

The material is different, obviously but it’s also similar in the way I explore the problems of the Indian family man. The first part was focused more on my daughter and her growing up. The format is largely similar, with me highlighting the struggles and life of a father. Now the new show has a new layer which basically says that a family man should listen to his wife to do a better job. That’s how I close the show now by talking about all the positives of listening to your wife.

Is The Show Name A Reference To The Viral Web Series?

There is a small bit in the beginning of the show where I address the fact that we have the same name. There’s a little something to it, you have to watch it to know what I am talking about.

So, How Long Did It Take You To Write This Second Part?

To go from zero to a trial show it took about 8-10 months. And now after performing it, it’s evolved into a 75-minute show.

Coming To The Touring Aspect, You Explored Uncharted Territory Last Year Performing In Ivory Coast. How Is The Turnout When You Go Perform In These Countries?

So, basically wherever I perform the people who come out to watch me are the same—Tamil understanding families. The show has something that will appeal to everyone in the family, even the kids. The show is tailored in a way that the whole family can have a good time and go. Regarding the turnout, it’s always been good so far. Luckily I have my material online which has resonated with the people and they always come out to watch me live whenever I put up a show anywhere.

Do You Write Jokes Specific To The Country When You Go Perform Abroad?

The show remains the show. But I always start the shows with some new material that I’ve written about the country. I look around, I make some observations and that’s how I set the mood in the beginning. And then once I get into the flow is when I start with the actual show.

How Feasible Do You Think It Is For Upcoming Comedians To Go Perform Overseas?

The beauty of standup comedy is that there are no written rules. Anything can happen to anyone at any given point in their career. But having said that, the most important thing that comedians have to do is earn the trust of the producers in the country. They should see that if they bring you to the country then you’ll be able to sell out tickets because at the end of the day, they are also looking to make money. So even if you have been in the game for only one year, if you can pull an audience you should definitely look at performing overseas because it’s also monetarily better for you as a performer. But you also need an astute understanding of the artform to get to a point where you can sell your tickets.

What Advice Do You Have For Newcomers In The Scene?

I would say that they should be engrossed in the craft for the first few years. Only after that is done should they look at releasing videos and reels. You also can’t expect to go viral instantly. For you to think that you’ll put out a video after performing for a year and getting let’s say, five million views, is a little overambitious. You should also realise that if you do go viral, you should have material to back it up because that’s just the beginning of your journey. The audience is expecting a lot more from you now that you’ve blown up on Instagram reels or YouTube. You have to understand the responsibility as a comedian because it’s very easy to disappoint them and they’ll stop coming to your shows instantly. So, be disciplined and focus on your craft, everything else will follow.

Any New Comedians You’ve Recently Discovered Through Reels?

There’s this guy who goes by Vikkals Vikram on Instagram. His real name is Vikram (Arul Vidyapathi). He blew up because of his sketch comedy reels. Now he’s selling out shows. It also goes without saying that he does a great job of doing standup comedy as well. See, this is the responsibility I was talking about. He became famous because of his non-standup reels and is using that popularity to pull in audiences. But he’s also delivering at these shows.

After All These Years of Doing Standup, Do You Still Feel Nervous?

To be honest, every performer should have a little bit of nervous energy. Nobody should be overconfident. You can never preempt what the audience will be like. Even if you perform for the same set of people, there moods will differ, the ambience matters. So you should always have a little bit of nervous energy. Personally, I know I’ll be nervous till I get the first laugh. Once I cross that hurdle, I get into the flow.

You can pick up your tickets here.