One of the pioneers of stand-up comedy in India, Abish Mathew is a household name now among GenY with his inimitable style of stage performances interspersed with music, sketches and improvs. The Telegraph catches up with Abish before Son of Abish Season 7 is launched in a home-made avatar soon.
Has it been all work in this lockdown period?
It’s been an introspective time, especially for anyone who’s living alone. It’s been a very creative space. Initially, I created this property called Viva, which is basically an Instagram Live. Now it’s become like a talent show. That is when I thought of why not launch Son of Abish on the digi-platform… if this can work, why not that?! It also tells us so much about this change in user behaviour. Comedians have been doing live events and people want to have these live interactions.
Tell us about how Son of Abish Season 7 is all home-made...
The studio is my living room now. I have moved around all my furniture. I literally have to move everything before I can go out of the door to get groceries.
What about the live audience experience? Is it the best part of it?
My fave thing is to go up on stage. Earlier, we used to get the guests in the studio and shoot. It was easier but the live audience was missing. So now how do we integrate it? What we do is, we get 20/30 people max and for the first 20 minutes we interact with these people. They keep their audio and video on. So 70 per cent of the people are repeat audience. They come sometimes in their pyjamas, with their drinks, sometimes they dress up and then I feel severely underdressed. Last time I put on a jacket after seeing them so well-dressed. It’s like a game show with the audience almost. It’s more interactive than conversational only.
Which platform are you guys working on this season?
We will be uploading it on YouTube but the communication is through Zoom.
Is it also the first full-fledged show done in absolute quarantine?
Yes, it was more exciting than difficult. I have done a lot of back-end work trying to build a company. I was able to pool in people from different fields, so everyone had their designations but everyone had to do everything. All these guys are not technicians but artistes. I have to look into a lot of technical stuff apart from hosting. I have to edit some segments though we have an editor because it’s my idea and someone else might not do a good job.
Kalki Koechlin stars in the show Sourced by the Telegraph
So is there a mix of Indian and international stars this season?
This season, we looked at digi-stars in India. But also some Bolly celebs who are artistic and not just big names. Like for example, we got in touch with the Indian-American actor Utkarsh Ambudkar, who has worked in the film Pitch Perfect (2012) and the TV show The Mindy Project (2013). He’s also a known free-style rapper who performed at the Oscars 2020. Utkarsh will be there with Raftaar — so two hip-hop stars from two different countries. We also got on board Asif Ali, the Indian-American actor who worked in The Mandalorian (2019), the American space Western web television series. Kalki Koechlin will be there as well. Everybody else we are in talks with.
You have worn many masks in your career. Now, you must be wearing a real one. What has the lockdown taught you?
It taught me to buy a washing machine (laughs). I recently learnt cooking. I lost a lot of weight. Cooking, doing dishes, mopping floors and washing clothes can be very meditative because if you are not listening to music and you are cleaning the floor, your brain is thinking of ideas. It’s a great time for ideas to be born. So if you have a creative block, do some home chores.
What’s going to be different this season in terms of content?
What you should be looking out this season is the opening segment with the audience and the section called ‘No Reason At All’, which is an absurd comedy sketch. There’s an entire dedicated team for this part. This time it won’t be about how the celeb became famous or something… this time it’s about what he/she represents and what’s their opinion. Like for example, Utkarsh spoke about the struggles of an Indian-American in America. So we are going deeper instead of going wider.
What do you think the comedy industry needs more than ever now?
Personally, there’s a need to recognise that we are part of something bigger. Poets, storytellers, singers, comedians and dancers… are a part of the performance arts community. In the lockdown, live shows were the first to be affected. So all performing artistes need to bind together now, as a solid voice. We have to create and keep having opinions.
How and when do you practise your craft?
My workshop is an open mic. It’s going up on stage really. What works on stage… we put it up digitally.
But now that live experiences are compromised, we are adapting a digital-live experience. The idea of our craft is to go on stage with an idea, record the idea… then go on stage the very next day and review/change the idea. Then repeat it after the next day and go on like that. One needs to take time with the art. Now is the time to review and introspect as things have slowed down a bit. Something with a deeper message will take time to write.
You have been an RJ, a musician, an actor, stand-up comic, show host. What is that one thing missing from your CV?
Ohh man!! There are two things actually. My ultimate goal in life as an artiste is to go from being a comedian to a digital influencer to now becoming an artiste and to then become a philosopher. The highest form of being an artiste is being a philosopher or a scientist. These are the thinking professions, among other professions too. I would want to retire, sit and think.
Will this season of Son of Abish feature an ‘Out of Syllabus’ segment, and if yes, what can we expect?
I am very impressed that you asked this question. The ‘Out of Syllabus’ team is already working on something. We are going to do that and it’s going to be on the eighth episode. I can’t tell you the topic yet.
How do you switch off when not performing? Or are you always funny?
I will agree to that… I am not off, which is not always a good thing. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, I used to be on all the time as I used to meet people all the time, always thinking or working on projects. Now I hang out with people on Zoom or WhatsApp calls or conference calls. Now, when I am doing household chores… that is the time I am talking to myself. In that way I am always working… comedy is not about the joke, it’s about the momentum of a feeling.
What’s a usual day in your life like?
I wake up at 7.30am. I vacuum the floor and I start thinking where did all this hair come from! Am I having hairfall?! So maybe I will go bald very soon or this is the hair loss I never noticed. I mop the floor, then I call up my parents in Vancouver, Canada, and I have my first cup of coffee with them. I talk to them for around 40-45 minutes. I haven’t talked so much with them ever… I am getting to know their secrets. Then I shower and meditate. By 12.45pm, I am ready to start work.
Any advice for budding comedians?
I am proud of my consistency. I don’t give up. Even if my joke on stage is bad, I will still go ahead with it. For anyone who wants to be anything, my advice would be ‘don’t give up, be ready to evolve’. Because one needs to let the plant grow, we only need to keep watering it. I am a good gardener of ideas.
Your go-to movie and fave performers?
School of Rock and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit… these are my faves. These are mood-boosters. And music plays a huge part. If I am feeling low, I have a playlist of light songs to fall back on. My fave performance would be the concert by Queen at Wembley in 1984. I love Freddie Mercury’s energy.