Ranting is therapeutic, they say. What a rant is often not is a fun listen. But Mumbai-based stand-up comic Neville Shah pulled it off when one was least expecting it. We Should All Kill Ourselves, partnered by t2 and held a little before Xmas at Palazzo in Alipore, turned out to be a super fun session.
Using his dry humour and keen observational skills, Neville made the 35-plus audience go ROFL-ing. The topics he picked? As varied as Bengali food and Shahnaz Husain, boarding school and annoying baby pictures on Facebook news feed. Neville brought up things that we’ve thought about but never had the guts to say out loud to another person.
“Today’s show is mostly about how cynically I see the world, how we have devolved as a society to a point where, I think, we are one genocide away, to cleanse the system to bring it back to where it was,” smirked Neville before his hour-long set.
His enactment of Indian tourists abroad (like a jungle safari in Africa) and the difference between the games boys and girls play in their childhood hit the nail on the head. “Little girls look so cute when they play their hopscotch, hair bouncing. The games boys play, however, have one main aim — to cause pain,” he said, as the audience guffawed.
The 35-year-old also didn’t shy away from taking a dig at himself, starting with his half Parsi, half Gujarati roots, and sparking off the age-old debate — what hurts more, labour pain or getting hit in the testicles?
Where does he draw his inspiration from? “Mostly from a base truth and then embellishing it further and exaggerating,” came the reply. With more than five years in the industry, what does he think of the comedy scene in India? “Not just the comedy scene, even the audience has changed. They are more open, for sure,” said Neville, who admires George Carlin and Louis CK.
DECEMBER MAD-NESS
If you love theatre as much as you love December in Calcutta, B.Y.O.D by Mad About Drama (M.A.D) would have been right up your alley. Bring Your Own December (B.Y.O.D) was this young theatre group’s latest venture that started The Madhouse Workshop Series powered by t2, which culminated in a day-long event at Gyan Manch on December 29 featuring five “promising performing arts groups”.
Aimed at students, working professionals and homemakers, the workshops were conducted by the M.A.D boys, who touched upon the basics of acting and also trained them for auditions.
“We have always felt that most theatre festivals in the city tend to cater to a niche audience and they tend to alienate the masses. We wanted to promote the idea that December is not just about partying and clubbing, winter is also when the arts are meant to be celebrated. So we designed an event which was carnival-esque from the word go, decked up Gyan Manch, put together a makeshift flea market and held performances brimming with youthful vigour and energy. We wanted to ensure the audience understood that a day-long theatre event is all about having a good time,” said Soham Majumdar, one of the group’s founding members.
Mad About Drama was set up by three youths — Soumendra Bhattacharya, Soham Majumdar and Soumya Mukherji — who are, well, mad about drama and have performed at venues like the Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai, and The India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Ramona Sen
What: Lahori Food Festival
Where: The Loft (previously Casa Toscana), 14 Sarat Chatterjee Avenue, near Menoka cinema
When: Till January 20, 12.30pm-10.30pm
On the menu: Think winter, think digging into piping hot, straight-out-of-the-tandoor kebabs. This Lahori fest has Ajwaini Gobi, Bhatti Da Murgh, Lahori Channe Da Shorba, Lahori Dal Tadka... all to be teamed with hearty potions of Keema Paratha, Amritsari Kulche and Makki Di Roti. Wrap up your foodathon with the winter special Gajar Ka Halwa or Balusahi, or go for something less sweet like Fruit Cream.
Pocket pinch: Rs 800-plus for two.
Art for a cause: (Above left) Actress Koneenica Banerjee and fashion designer Agnimitra Paul pore over a calendar on Baluchari saris that was recently launched at ICCR. The calendar, for which Rituparna Sengupta, Rachna Banerjee and Koneenica have posed in front of the terracotta temples of Bishnupur in Baluchari saris, has been brought out by Force for Rural Empowerment and Economic Development and is up for sale at www.mybengalroots.com. “Baluchari is not a fabric but a work of art. But the artisans are lacking direction. The same old colour combinations are not appealing to the modern woman who wants to stand out,” said Agnimitra, who has designed a line of Western outfits in Baluchari. (Above right) Laura Amalir, the wife of Alliance Francaise du Bengale director Stephane Amalir, emerged as a photographer at the meet which also showcased some of her work, alongside a Ladakh travelogue through the lens of Surajit Hari. “My photography is tied to my interest in the places I travel to. And no place I have been to inspires photography more than Calcutta. The city has an extraordinary contrast of light and darkness. But unless you have a nice camera, it is impossible to capture the magic of places like the meat shops of New Market,” said the lady who carries a camera everywhere. The exhibition is on till January 10. Pictures: B. Halder
