Stand-up comedian Rohan Joshi was in Kolkata to perform a solo for Black Dog Easy Evenings recently. In an interview with IBNS-TWF correspondent Souvik Ghosh, Rohan speaks about his journey as a comedian and more
Tell us about your journey as a stand-up comedian.
It’s been a long and entertaining one. I went to an open mic run by Vir Das for fun, and ended up being bitten by the bug. Since then, took some detours to do online content, a roast, a little advocacy, and now back here!
Do you think humour is gradually decreasing in people’s life? How do you deal with pressure and stress?
I don’t think that’s true. I think some people can be humourless but that shouldn’t be seen as a reflection on society as a whole. In some cases, the things people laugh at or won’t laugh at are changing, but that’s been something every generation of comedy has had to deal with.
What is the biggest challenge you face as a stand-up comedian?
Keeping my perspectives fresh and different from those of the thousands of other comedians out there.
What will be your message to people who cannot bear the comedians criticising them in a subtle manner?
Get over yourselves. Also there’s a huge difference between “I didn’t think that was funny” and “that’s not funny”.
