It’s a full circle for Russell Peters. The hot king of comedy from Canada will be performing on October 23 at the Science City Auditorium, in the city where his mother was born and where he spent time as a child. An Indian-born Canadian, Russell’s brand of comedy takes a long, hard look at his Canadian upbringing and racial stereotypes. Much of his material explores the cultural divides between ethnicities. There’s also a concern for immigrant communities, notably Indian, Arab, Chinese, Caribbean and other South Asian communities that are largely overlooked. And all this is done in good humour. A chat with the stand-up on the eve of the show, partnered by The Telegraph...

How does it feel being back in motherland?

It feels great; I’m enjoying the shows, can’t wait to perform in Calcutta though. A lot of kids have been coming to the shows. Kids today, my friend, are very different from what we were as kids. They have the Internet now.

How has the tour turned out so far?

I just performed in Bangalore last night, and the audience was really cool. But you know what, Bangalore’s a boring city. Can you believe there’s a ban on dancing?

Yes, we do. The name for Bangalore is now Bangalore.

That’s a good one (laughs). Honestly, I didn’t find it as vibrant as Mumbai or Calcutta. Calcutta’s the city my mom was born in, and I happen to have a lot of family still living here. I feel really connected to this city.

Any censure from the cultural police yet?

Nope, none at all.

How does it feel visiting Calcutta for a show?

I’m really excited about performing in Calcutta, but at the same time, it’s kinda nerve-wracking too. Though I was born and raised in Canada, I must have made at least six visits to the city as a child, and those were extended periods of stay. My uncle David owns Nahoum’s bakery in New Market; the family lives in and around Elliott Road; so I know that part of town pretty well. Is Flurys still around? Then I would definitely want to drop in. And there was this tiny shop on Elliott Road selling kati rolls; those were yummy. There’s also the neighbourhood phuchkawallah. I gotta be careful with that, though.

You mean mineral water phuchkas?

No, mate, it just doesn’t taste the same. I’ll choose the malaria water (plays what sounds like a funny bugle on his iPhone).

We’ll be looking out for those Bong one-liners…

I haven’t had time yet to figure those out yet! To be honest, the Bengali accent of English is a lot funnier than a lot of other accents. My uncle in Calcutta was white-washing the walls of their house, when my grandmom asked her servant about her son. Well, the servant replied: “He is bite-bashing the balls”!

So what’s next?

After India, I’m off to the Philippines and then Singapore. Then it’s back to LA, where I’ll be hosting the Hollywood Music Awards. There’s also the Las Vegas Comic Festival that I will be anchoring.

A superficial look at your shows might give the idea that you are making fun of people. But dig a little deeper and emerges a cultural commentary. Is that true?

That’s probably one of the most accurate descriptions of my performance. Yes, it is cultural commentary. No matter what anyone says, I don’t make fun of people: in my case, they’re usually all immigrant communities in the Western world. I bring them the attention that is otherwise not provided. More people than not get offended when I’m not including their communities in my shows.

Bengalis are notorious for flaunting themselves as cultural superiors. How do you expect them to respond?

People who think they are superior and get offended when poked fun at suffer from an inferiority complex.

Any offers from Bollywood yet?

Well, people keep approaching me, but I keep telling them that I am not interested. I would be interested if I had something to do with a Bollywood actress, though. This is a huge country of millions, so I think I’ll give the others a chance at Bollywood.

Thank you, that’s rather generous of you…

(Laughs) I do what I can.

Arka Das