“That was probably the best day of my life,” says Kochi-based comedian Deepak Mohan, talking of the day he was scheduled to get married. It’s the sort of thing that people are expected to say about their wedding day. But in Deepak’s case, there’s a twist to the tale. His wedding was cancelled. So why was it the best day? Because it turns out that Deepak is a maestro at making lemonades out of life’s lemons. Instead of sitting at home and licking his wounds, Deepak and his friends marked the date by putting together a sold-out standup show at Trivandrum Club’s P. Subramaniam Hall, the intended venue for his now-cancelled wedding reception.
Deepak began his standup journey in 2018, performing at the handful of open mics that took place in his hometown of Kochi. After a couple of years in the scene and a few performances in Bengaluru and Pune, he got together with some fellow comedians—including Aneez M Latheef, Mahadevan, John Joe, Sabareesh and Bharath—to form a comedy collective called the Cochin Comedy Project in February 2021. The idea was to promote standup comedy in Kerala, and hopefully build a comedy community within the state. They found some success, performing at a number of 200-seater venues across the state, and raking in a decent number of views online. But in the absence of promoters and producers, their progress stagnated over time. “We hit a glass ceiling very soon,” says Deepak.
At the same time, Deepak was pursuing a romantic relationship and looking to settle down. “I met this person in January 2022,” he says. “Things were going well for us and we decided to get married in September 2023. But things took an unexpected turn. Unfortunately, the relationship didn’t work out and the wedding was called off in February this year.”
Naturally, the comedian had a tough time dealing with this sudden change of plans. Apart from the obvious emotional fallout, he was also about to lose a big chunk of money. “The wedding was supposed to happen on 10 September followed by a grand reception on 11 September at a 500-seater auditorium,” he says. “It is the Chingam month (the first month of the Malayalam calendar) which is the wedding season in Kerala. When you book a venue during this period, you have to make a full advance payment and it’s usually non-refundable.”
With a massive auditorium booked and no reception in sight, Deepak started thinking of alternate ways to use the venue. So he figured, why not do a comedy show? He took the idea to Wonderwall, the Kerala-based talent management agency that had signed him and the other Cochin Comedy Project members onto their roster in May. The four comedians were already on the road with their Malayalam-language show Saadhanam Kaiyilund, and Wonderwall was happy to add another show to the tour.
Deepak and the gang managed to sell out the venue—a big task in a state where standup comedy isn’t very popular—and put together what they call the largest Malayalam standup comedy show in Kerala. They performed their usual material from Saadhanam Kaiyilund, which was followed by a roast of the groom not-to-be. “I also did this cringe thing of marrying a mic stand,” laughs Deepak. “We managed to secure some sponsorship for the show. The whole rent of the venue was recovered with the ticket sales and sponsors. I paid back my parents in full.”
The biggest challenge he faced was to convince his parents of the idea. “Coming from a middle-class family, my parents aren’t very supportive of my career-choice,” says Deepak. “They also wanted me to get married at a certain age. So when I told them about this they were on the fence. But then, when they saw me perform and saw the response of the audience, they seemed to enjoy it. It was the first time I told jokes in front of them, which was the biggest win for me personally. I also roasted them a little, which I think they took well.”
“A marriage being called off is a big deal in our society,” he added. “So when my parents heard people talk about their similar experiences or going through divorce and how our show made them feel better and see the bright side of things, it felt like they were proud. A marriage being called off can also be celebrated because everything happens for good, right?”
Having pulled off a successful 500-person show, the four comedians are looking to build on this momentum. “We’re currently planning a tour across Kerala at 600-700 seater venues with a new show Aaraanu Santhosham Agrihikaatheth,” Deepak told us. “Standup isn’t very big in Kerala. So when our agency Wonderwall saw the response to our show, they are also seeing the scope in standup comedy.”
Speaking of his personal life, Deepak says, “I still feel bad sometimes. But I think now when I look back, it’s good. I have positive memories of that particular day, which otherwise I would probably have spent drinking with my buddies and crying. But today, that day is as special as it can get. As they say in the business, ‘comedy is tragedy plus time.’”
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