It’s a cold and rainy evening outside the Arts Centre Melbourne. Anirban Dasgupta opens his black chhata and smiles from afar. I roll up my trusted Decathlon jacket hoodie and walk across to him. We greet each other excitedly halfway across the world. His show, Best of Comedy Zone Asia, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), begins in an hour and so we hurry inside for a quick chat. “The Indian performers are famous for being late. Everyone gets a group message about the timings from the organiser the night before… but the Indians get separate messages,” grins the Bengali who grew up in Kolkata.
This year is Anirban’s third time at MICF, along with two other Indians. Sonali Thakker is also performing at the Best of Comedy Zone Asia and Daniel Fernandes is bringing his solo show Infernal to Melbourne.
My Kolkata caught up with Anirban at Australia’s largest comedy festival.
My Kolkata: Welcome to Melbourne. How does it feel to be part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) for the third time? Anirban Dasgupta: First of all, I’m very happy to see you in Melbourne and just for the Kolkata connection, I came to meet you in a tram (laughs).
I really love being part of the MICF. It’s beautiful because you don’t get to see comedy at this scale in India. The city really comes alive with the festival. I came here for the first time in 2019, then I was here last year, for the Roadshow, which is like a road trip with comics across Australia. It’s also part of the festival, but it starts after the festival in Melbourne gets over. That was probably the best stand-up experience of my life – one month on the road with four other comics.
This year, I’m doing the Asian showcase — Best of Comedy Zone Asia. I also performed at the opening night gala, which is a pretty big deal for me.
You’ve really grown as a comic. I remember attending your early gigs in Kolkata and now, you’re possibly the first Indian comic to do MICF’s opening night in 37 years. What would you attribute to making it here?
I think every gig I’ve done has helped me reach where I am today. I remember there was this venue called Ta’aam below Priya Cinema in Kolkata. Oh man, I did that room for like 15 weeks in a row and every show, one person attended. I was like, ‘When will this room get two people?’
I got a lot of support from the comedy scene back home and that’s something I’m really grateful for. Getting the right opportunities at the right time, and doing most of my comedy in English, which helps reach an international audience, are other factors.
Which shows at MICF 2023 would you recommend for Asians and Indians currently in Melbourne?
I think the charm of Melbourne International Comedy Festival lies in shows that are a little offbeat, and not pure stand-up, because that’s something we don’t get back in India. In Melbourne, the boundaries of comedy are kind of limitless. So I’d recommend any show that is done by people who have studied clowning… those shows are just insane. It’s stand-up, sketch, play, cabaret… everything just packed into one musical.
The show I saw last night was Garry Starr’s Grease Lightning. In the entirety of the show, his aim is to convince the audience to come to Greece. So he plays all the Greek gods and it's just like a bunch of gags for an hour and I was crying the entire time with laughter. And of course, all the gigs where Indians are performing.
(L-R) Fakkah Fuzz (Singapore), Sonali Thakker (India), Anirban Dasgupta (India), Sakdiyah Ma’ruf (Indonesia) and Douglas Lim (Malaysia) at Best of Comedy Zone Asia Karo Christine Kumar
Do you tweak your script when performing for an international audience?
I don’t really change my jokes. Even back home, I try to write jokes that everybody gets everywhere. They’re for all age groups and all demographics. But, I do have to prepare a little bit before these all-English shows, which is basically stopping myself from mumbling words like arre, toh, acha and b*ka ch*da!
Which are the top three comedy festivals in the world?
Just For Laughs, Montreal, which is biggest in terms of skill — it’s like the Hollywood of comedy. I performed there last year at the New Faces of Comedy, its main showcase for new comics. The other two would be Melbourne International Comedy Festival and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
‘I do have to prepare a little bit before all-English shows, which is basically stopping myself from mumbling words like arre, toh, acha and b*ka ch*da!’ says Anirban Courtesy: Anirban Dasgupta
How easy or difficult is it to break into one of these big festivals?
The world has really opened up. Ten years ago, when I was starting out, all this would seem impossible. Now, our Indian comedy scene is really strong. I don’t think any other country has achieved this much in comedy in the first decade or so of its existence. I’m probably more nervous about big line-up shows in India than abroad because the Indian scene is full of talent.
So coming from India actually prepares you really well. I tell my friends back in India, who think that performing internationally is a big jump, that we’re at that level already, which is just bizarre. So if I’m doing a line-up in Delhi or in Mumbai with Anubhav Singh Bassi, Abhishek Upmanyu, Prashasti Singh and Biswa Kalyan Rath, it’s as good as any line-up in the world for me.
‘Coming from India actually prepares you really well. I tell my friends in India, who think that performing internationally is a big jump, that we’re at that level already’ Courtesy: Anirban Dasgupta
How often do you visit Kolkata? Who is doing some good work in comedy in the city?
A little less now that I have an 18-month-old daughter, Adhrita. We visited around Kali Puja last year.
Top Cat Retired Comedy Club, started by Sourav Ghosh and Meghdut RoyChowdhury, hosts some good acts. Now Sourav has moved out to write some films and local comics like Amrita Chanda are running the club.
Which has been your best city to perform in?
In Australia, my favourite place was Bunburi, a big town by the sea in western Australia. We did like a massive 1,000-seater show and it was a night to remember. Melbourne is always great, but Bunburi was special.
Which gag are you best known for? Is it Netaji?
You know, I’ll tell you something. This was so random. Last year, when I came for the Roadshow, the first stop was Alice Springs in central Australia. It was my first show and I had no idea what to expect. When I went up on stage, even before I could say hello, somebody shouted ‘Netaji’ from the crowd. I got a little thrown off because now how do I explain Netaji to like 600 people!
My strategy is to do short jokes, not get into long stories because there’s a lot of context-setting to do in stories. So I just pick my strongest short jokes and then improv on the spot if need be.
‘My strategy is to do short jokes, not get into long stories because there’s a lot of context-setting to do in stories’ Courtesy: Anirban Dasgupta
You said you write your own jokes. How does that feel different from writing your school exams?
(Laughs) I was one of those kids in school (Apeejay School, Kolkata), who was dead against cheating. I used to be that guy who used to tell on students who were cheating, but that was only until Class VI. Then I realised I had to join their camp!
Who have been your comedy influences?
Norm Macdonald is my all-time favourite, I absolutely love his stuff. Then people we grew up watching in shows like George Carlin, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Louis C.K. … They all inspired me. And of course Adam Sandler… when I saw him do his Netflix special 100%. Fresh, I was blown away. Anytime I feel low or need inspiration, I switch that on.
(L-R) Louis C.K., Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld – some of Anirban’s comedy idols
If you could go back and talk to your younger self, what advice would you give yourself?
Probably not to do engineering! Now, the only thing I engineer are jokes.
If you could ask 3 well-known personalities a question each, what would it be?
I would ask Shah Rukh Khan who’s taking management decisions in KKR.
I would like to ask Sachin Tendulkar what he loves more — his country or cricket.
And I would ask Didi about opposition unity and whether they will get it by 2050!
