6 months ago
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“Perhaps if I talked astir potholes successful Kannada, they mightiness get filled,” laughs Arun Sriram, talking astir the online pelting helium received for his amusement Whitefield Tamizhan successful December past year. Presented successful Tamil, it did get its stock of flak from connection purists.
Now, the CA-turned-standup volition beryllium presenting his latest acceptable successful Kannada, Tamil and English this weekend. “I cognize however tolerant the radical of Bengaluru are; I americium definite they volition tolerate my Kannada too,” continues Arun. “I felt the Rajyotsava play was an auspicious clip to springiness backmost to metropolis which is present my home.”
Originally from Chennai, Arun settled down successful Bengaluru implicit 20 years agone and similar astir people, helium began learning Kannada by conversing with car drivers.
Talking astir his determination from firm to comedy, Arun says helium has ever been considered witty and started retired with unfastened mic sessions successful 2017. “When a mates of my lines landed, I considered taking my humour from a one-on-one attack to a one-to-many setting.”
Arun Sriram
He credits chap comics Kenny Sebastian and Praveen Kumar for their guidance successful his archetypal days. “Praveen gave maine a transcript of Judy Carter’s Comedy Bible which was a crippled changer. That was 3 years aft I thought I was doing basal up comedy,” helium laughs. “It changed the mode I approached my writing. My scripts became sharper, tighter, and my sets got better.”
“You judge you’ve arrived erstwhile you are fixed a five-minute slot, rather definite that it is excessively little until you measurement connected signifier and person soundlessness and quizzical looks successful return. My archetypal standup was successful 2018, and looking backmost astatine the video, I pity the assemblage much than myself.”
Needless to say, Arun’s scripts are “predominantly observational, aforesaid deprecatory and experiential” and helium performs successful “conversational Indian English,” adjacent erstwhile successful Chennai with the occasional operation successful Tamil thrown in. “After opening for comics who came from Chennai, I began adding a spot of Tamil to my enactment and recovered that erstwhile you stock the connection you deliberation successful and talk in, with an audience, determination is simply a earthy travel to your speech.”
However, lone aft helium gave a JOSH Talk (a level for inspiring stories and upskilling opportunities) successful Kannada astir 2 years ago, did Arun commencement mulling implicit presenting a acceptable successful the language. “That speech was a azygous take, 11-minute code astir my travel successful comedy. I felt if I could bash it without utilizing a prompt, I could springiness this a changeable arsenic well.”
Arun Sriram and an ISL interpreter astatine 1 of his sets
He says the upcoming special, his archetypal standup show successful Kannada, revolves astir quality emotions. “We person been brought up to judge immoderate emotions are good, portion others specified arsenic anger, sadness oregon disgust are bad. However, they are each important, valid and stock an important abstraction successful our lives. My amusement touches connected the humorous elements of each navarasa oregon emotion.”
Arun is 1 of the fewer standups who performs with an Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter, offering it arsenic an enactment erstwhile helium is presenting. “Typically, radical who are deaf tin lone presumption YouTube videos utilizing subtitles. Training 1 oculus little to work and the different higher to travel what unfolds tin beryllium tiresome. Their origin is adjacent to my bosom and I ever inquire if determination is simply a request for it astatine my shows,” helium says, adding that the 1 this play volition not person an ISL interpreter.
After this show, Arun takes his acceptable to Mumbai the pursuing weekend, wherever helium volition contiguous successful Tamil and English.
Arun Sriram volition beryllium presenting Navarasa successful Kannada (3pm), Navarasam successful Tamil (5pm) and Epifunny successful English (7pm) astatine Rangasthala connected November 2, 2025. Tickets from ₹399 disposable connected Bookmyshow.
