Other countries, one of the country's most respected standup comics and most people know about this story, how he transitioned from the world of business and I.T. into becoming a full time standup comic. And, yes, we definitely touched upon his story in this podcast.

But this is one of my favorite conversations. That's one of the big criticisms we ever did on me, show that it becomes too one sided. Now, that's not something I've done consciously.

I'm just a curious dude. But you know what? With adult country, it was a two way conversation.

And I feel he's one of those rare people from that generation born in the 1960s who can talk to people who are born in the 90s and the 2000s. He comes down to our level in terms of age, in terms of mindset, and has conversations. And when there's two generations that are exchanging ideas and thoughts, that's one of the most stimulating kinds of conversations that you'll ever come across. And that's what I'm trying to give you through this episode.

Everything from politics, the nature of comedy, the nature of taking offense on social media, and so much more about how the world of media has evolved, about how idolatries reality has evolved.

This one was an eye opener for me in many aspects, and I hope it does the same for you. Before we begin this episode, I just want to highlight that the clips of this episode are up on a total YouTube channel, the individual clips.

And I also want to highlight that my new social media one one course is now live on the Gadhafi app. So if you want to build your own social media business, your own online, mobile or any business in the 1920s and 30s, keep in mind, social media will have to be the base of that business. That just makes things a lot easier. That's what I'm trying to give you through my social media. One one course.

Check it out on Graffy. You can find it on your app store, on your play store. That's g r e e h y. Check it out. Search for my.

And enjoy a third country on the NBC show.

I country, welcome to the runway show. Thank you. Thank you. Ran right to the runway show. One of my big criticisms about this show recently has been that I've become too serious in life. OK. Yeah, because I feel the show is a reflection of what I'm going through in life, you know, and that feels when I've recorded.

So one of my very close friends is that you have to bring up the country and who they to go to your show.

So I just want to say that every time you do, you all very different energy, like when people have met in the media industry, then like generally those stand up comedy space or generally people I meet on a Day-To-Day basis, very, very different energy.

OK, so do you feel that about yourself? You feel like somebody you stand apart from the crowd and does a stand up comedy? I think yes. I mean I mean, I, I am generally I have a lot of energy. I mean, as a person I'm very hyper of a lot of energy and like even at home, my daughter's school on like, you know, so I don't know, it's always been there, you know, I think somewhere inside I still feel I'm young, even though I'm 52 years old.

So, yeah, that energy I think comes from that. And in fact and some of the comedians way they interact with also, like, you know, off stage and in the green room and all, you know, I'm probably the guy who's they don't feel I'm old enough. So it's. Yeah. So I think it's a good positive energy. I think it's a good space to be in.

I have the same thing to say about you. Like when someone asked me about this particular episode, I said that I'm going to ask him all the things I wish to ask my parents, but I probably got like I feel I can talk to you about anything. But let's begin with your Orji story, OK?

What exactly were you doing before? Stand up, because there is confusion about this. Some people say you're a CEO and people say you already own businesses. So what's the truth? So there wasn't that there was an I.T. company in Bombay get their computers. It's still there. It was being my brother and some other people. And so I was a director. So I was the CEO of the company. So I got out of engineering way back late eighties.

Then I worked outside and then I came into this company and I was running the sales and service part. We used to sell computers, networks. So I was, you know, Cisco Networks and high end. We still maintain networks and computers, infrastructure. One of my clients like 200 computers for maintaining the servers and the networks across India. So I had a good, nice team as I did that for close to twenty five years. And so, yes, that was what I was doing prior to me getting into comedy or trying to sort of out of the age of 44, I decided to get into something and I thought l want to leave it.

It started as a you go to the bucket list, started as a as my I would call it midlife crisis, trying to do something else. And but then I started enjoying it so much that after four years of starting it, I quit that and got full time into stand up comedy.

I'm going to come back to your story again. Yeah, but you mentioned this word called midlife crisis. It's something that's always intrigued me a lot. Yeah. So because you're a stand up comic, your job is to observe people. Yeah. So when you're observing your friends, what is this mid-life crisis made up of?

Like what happens, I think and what is it in the ABC's or so I think, you know, in our generation of her, not of us. Soon after college, a lot of pressure to get into work business and things like that. So I think when you have when I say midlife is, you know, 40s in the 40s, typically that's a midlife you know, you live up to 70, 80. So 40 is really the midpoint.

That's I think that's where the media comes from.

And I think that's when you start realizing that, hey, you spend on you know, and if I was doing, you know, just running around, trying to set up, you know, your work, your children, your family, and that's when it hit you head, there was no you know, no it's now or never, at least for me, it was that.

So salmeterol at age of 43, 44, started feeling that, hey, this this more to life than just this. You know, I can't be doing this for the next 23 years is running around, you know, trying to please my employees, my the government, the taxes, the my, my, my clients, you know, somewhere it has to be some something for your own personal. Also has to be there has to be one different aspect to you, which is your personal growth, you know, I mean, you can't deny the age of 65, 70 when you're retired.

And that really, really bothered me when I think of it.

Now, that really bothered me that at age of 73, whenever I'm retired and maybe not and can't do anything more, I wouldn't say, oh my God, at least I should have tried this.

You know, if you don't try, then you have to be blamed. But if you try and you don't succeed, then it's okay. So it was actually that and to be honest with you, my wife really a.m. and she said, hey, why don't we like and what happens in an I.T. job? Y'all did a great burnout because it is actually 24/7, 365. You know, when you're maintaining and these are my guestimating people is very high and critical.

So I wasn't a little. 3:00 a.m. in the morning here, Mazower is down somewhere in this range for some resources to sit it out and then you have to do it.

And so it was like and we were working actually in terms of what cause it used to be like for morning eight thirty eight, thirty nine, ten in the night and seven days a week, six days a week, Sundays with typically enough but six days a week. So Bonard, which happens in our country, you see the targets to achieve their employee salaries to be paid, you know, and running a business in India. I think anybody else, a small medium sized business is extremely challenging.

You know, in terms of the buck stops here, you know, you can't.

So yeah, unless you're a crook and you don't run out people's money, that's a different thing.

But so, yes, I think that's what and my wife, I said, no, I have to try something, you know, so so I actually it was it was a planned decision. Let me try something else other than just doing my work day in and day out. So I started for that. So I think midlife crisis really hits to that because every time your children are growing up and, you know, more responsibilities come up. So it's trying to, you know, probably satisfy some of your inner needs somewhere that, hey, let's look inward and say that how can you do something for yourself?

And what were you at? 27 was is you at this age where you decided to take this call? What was the difference in your mindset? At 27, I think I was more focused towards my work, it was full work, how to increase your business sales, how do you keep your clients happy? How to, you know, just manage things around? I think the Dozhd at that time, the goals are very different now. At the age of 44, when I started doing comedy, it was a very different state of mind where you said, OK, this is going on, you've done it well.

And all the time I left my work, we were highly profitable. It was not that was a dying business and I wanted to get out of it. I was doing well. I was in the business and we make money out of a loss. So. So, yeah, I was a. So at 44, it was the same feeling, I mean, I was still doing well, but there are some realizations are coming that, hey, I'm getting older, you know, and now you have to that's when your grades start coming in.

Your eyesight goes at 40. You know, your reading glasses. Come on. So you know that idea, some changes is happening. So it's either now or never.

What about all those stand up comics you made when you began? What was the difference in mindset there?

Because I just I feel it adds a lot of layers to your head and stand up comics is the nature of being because you're constantly writing letters to your head. Yeah. So do you feel like the younger ones are very different from you or are they very different from you even today?

So, yeah, some of them are different because if I look at a comedian who's like 23, 24 and is very young, you know, he's brilliant on stage. His writing is impeccable, everything is perfect. But that is the business side to it. That is the you know, somewhere. I mean, I am and I'm most popular of comedians. There's lot of fear in their head also, and especially today when a lot of kids like your age.

How old are you? Sorry. Twenty seven or so your age.

There's a lot of, you know, fears.

Should I to get married and find somebody, get married, have children, then the children have to go to school, arrange a nanny for them. They have to go. There's a big burden. And so a lot of kids and I don't get married, you know, that's the first thing. And so that they feel that it's a lot of responsibilities are and especially in a world now which is getting so polarized, which is becoming fairly negative and it's becoming so difficult, that's what it feels.

But so going back to your question, when I met these comedians, obviously they were young, they were carefree, you know, free spirited, as I would call it. You know, some of them would just come out of college just writing for them, just sitting at home all day long and then coming in the night to a comedy. That was a thing for me. It was like I used to work in the morning from age three to six today, and I did at the workplace getting my jeans, t shirt, jeans into my office toilet at six thirty seven, you know, changed into this.

In my short time, I could get Kennedy School clothes and go to some pub or some club to perform, you know, I mean, I would joke I said I would and I to feel like, you know, as I'm Clark Kent rushing into college, getting into Superman and going out to save the world, it was all.

So yes, I think there was a difference there.

But generally, I learned a lot from these people. You know, it's not that. I mean, I give credit to every young person because it has taught me so much. You know, I somehow feel it's a new lease of life for me. I did something for twenty five years, which is a good chunk of my life to maybe one third of my lifetime. I didn't this idea that, you know, you're you're running a different orbit, you have your you have your ecosystem of your clients, your suppliers, that now you jump out of that planet, get onto a different planet, take them fresh when you're hanging out with young comedians and writing a creative job, you know, going to comedy clubs, performing across the world, very different issues, very different ecosystem altogether.

So I'm privileged that with that I got a chance, at least in the lifetime to, you know, pursue two different extremely, you know, different, not polarizing, but very different environments.

But what do you see that starkly different about this generation of people my age? What do you think is great and what do you also think is a little messed up?

I think what is amazing you oh, you know this. You guys don't think too much of the future. I don't know.

I mean, it would be very individual, but I think it's it's a it's a very nice thing. It's a very valuable model that I need not buy a car. I have a newborn, you know, to buy a house. I can rent it out. I need not you not. You have ten thousand in your Angela. Let's go for a trip to Nashville for the weekend. I have money to used. It will earn more money. So far I don't see it as more of savings and all this protecting the future.

Because that's what, you know, my parents taught me. Like it's always about saving, planning your future, seeing that you have those mutual funds. And what if one day you've nothing happens, you have something to which is also good anyway. So that's the thing which I would like to tell people, is to please you know, like I always tell comedians that what happens in a comedy, you know, like an open mic comes. He does very well for three, you know, three consecutive open mikes and then fourth before the fourth open, make it quits his job.

So he has a job. I think this is my passion. This is my calling. And then fifth, sixth open Mike doesn't do well, certainly doesn't get the followers. And then, you know, finally, you need money to pay your bills to survive unless you have a rich father who will fund you for the rest of your life. You you required all this to to sustain. So I always say, you know, be very calculated in your approach.

And that's I got a lot of times comedians, a young comedian. So what should I do? And I you know, I mean, some of the parents have spoken to me come up. My son is saying that I want to live my steady job, which gives him a good forty fifty thousand rupees. And so I discuss with the comedian I. I've had this discussion, I said, listen, why do you want to leave your job? You know, it's something, you know, my boss doesn't allow me to do it.

I said, wait, wait for six months more. See where pros and cons, if I like a sustained six, seven, eight months, you're earning enough money from your from this passion of yours which can sustain you and you're confident you're doing well and you really want to up get into this for a lifetime, then jump, you know, then take this decision, because even though it may seem very easy, it may seem very fun and it seems very spontaneous.

A lot of hard work which goes into writing jokes, you know, especially in today's time when you have lots of jokes hitting you, you know, 200 jokes every minute is hitting you on your phone and social media and memes and so many things and so many such creators are coming. Now, you have to rise above that because then you go on stage and people come to pay your money. There is. Oh, my God, it's worth paying him whether they get the jokes on the Internet, because either, you know, that should not be the case generally.

I've seen this in the media industry that especially the acting world, I'd even say the YouTube world, I'd even do the stand up comedy world.

Is it a bit of a rat race like at least people? I know it's not, but people perceive it like that. Like I know all three are individual.

YouTube was enjoying their absolutely enjoying being in films, stand up comedy. Many of them are living on their dreams by performing on stage. Yeah. But somewhere a lot of people's heads becomes become the right reason. I feel like the joy of the whole ecosystem kind of drains away because of that.

Yeah. So somewhere down the line there is a rat race. If you know, if you're a YouTube, YouTube, YouTube or your rat race would be. How many subscribers are adding, Mantan, that this one, you know, because they are this metric system given by by my platforms, how many followers you have, how many views did you get, how many comments you do get, how many likes, dislikes you got? Those are, you know, created by the platforms, created by society so that we only, you know, you are sort of your judging yourself.

But I genuinely believe that if you are if you're like I'm telling honestly, I, I mean, not in a negative way, but I don't read any comments at all because it can throw you off.

You know that the reason I asked you this question is I only see you as probably the two guys I've met, not in the general in the whole social media space. You guys don't look at it as an actress, you know, very joyous about visual art. And like me, because you had that contrast before.

Maybe maybe because, you know, I'll be honest with you earlier, to sell a computer when we were making like maybe like I'm and I'm not joking. You could make like a thousand rupees on selling a company. Just give an example you make that's a margin. You make just a business selling a computer. And to select committee, it might take you one week in terms of the transaction. Your client calls, you give them a code, he comes back, he completely compares it against six other vendors.

And then you're fighting on the phone with her. This is the reason you should give it to me. Then you deliver the computer, you install it, keep him happy for you. And this is what you make. I have gone through those, you know, so for me, this is like a very, very good. And so we are so privileged that especially in stand up comedy, where it's a new art form, just ten years old, that all comedians, you know, there's a long way to go.

You know, I think we just the tip of the iceberg and I think 70, 80 percent of India has not even seen what we are doing, doesn't know that we exist, you know, and like till today when we would go to a comedy show, even in Bombay, and we ask people, how do you feel watching comedy show for the first time?

You'd be surprised. Fifty, sixty percent of the people I mean, life, obviously they watched on YouTube or Netflix or whatever, but life. Fifty percent sixty with the room puts up their hands, you know.

When did you last watch a live standup comedy tell me before the lockdown that made some of the decisions that I've never watched, as you know.

But you know, the point is, I think what know I believe is that, first of all, these three are forms of way. The struggles of the acting, for example, has been there for decades, years, hundreds of years. So that those are different challenges. For example, acting. You compare acting to stand up comedy. I have gone for auditions, for movies, for ads.

And it is brutal, you know, like the casting. I will call you one day. So we are looking at exactly for a person like you, salt, you know, salt, pepper hair. So looking see you looking, doctor looking. And so please come for the audition and you're going ahead. You think that maybe there'll be two guys over there and you go there and audition the two hundred guys also looking, also looking also, you know, Holford and all actors and I'm not an actor and that's the kind of competition you have.

So even in YouTube, I think that, you know and you know, you're a YouTube, you the video that you make with your heart, with your soul, you know, you know, you had fun on it. You know, your original you're not copied anybody's idea. It has to do with, you know, um, in comedy, you know, there's a thing called the football. So when you when you're on the stages of a while and the right one on the right, a left wall behind you, the audience is the fourth one and they are the most intelligent of all.

They can see whether you are lying or not lying. So as long as you're true to your art form, you know, you go up on stage, address it and the audience can see that you're not lying. I think it's a very pure art form, standup comedy. You cannot lie. You cannot fib on stage. And the audience respects that. And I think just to sort of sum up your question, I think is just whatever you do, first of all, you know, thanks to YouTube and so many platforms, there are no entry level barriers still in acting.

There are some barriers. You know, you may have to knock out Ranjha or some guy or you just really struggle a lot. But for if you're an original, you're funny. Put out a video without a real Sony platform of a 30 second failure of 15 second in society. You have a, you know, whatever for one minute IGB video. So, so many platforms are well, whatever your artform is, go there, do it. And if you're funny, you will, you know, do well, you know, like, for example.

Yes. McCuddy, nobody knew him, what, six months ago, eight months ago today. He's got like millions of followers. You know, musicians are on the around and they want to collaborate with him. Just see the such. He had nothing. He gave them Aurangabad. You know, I think that's important. You have to be to the art and keep on keep on doing it. Keep on doing it. Keep on doing it until you hit goal.

So because you're 40 plus, I'm sure you've seen people's stories played out in front of you. Yeah. So what I like negative pattern that you saw early on in your life in other people maybe who went down wrong.

Lots of faded away, but I don't know a better word for faded away but. And do you see the same negative patterns happening with, like the young people you meet in the media space?

So see, first of all, OK, just generally not comparing comedians or anything.

I think you have to recognize the trends. It's a lot of people initially shunned social media. What is Instagram?

What is Twitter? What is Facebook? You know, I want to protect my personal life. I just if I find fair enough for you if you want to do that. But listen, I you have to sell tickets. That's for you to come because kids nowadays stop reading newspaper. You're not watching TV. Where do you go to buy tickets on social media. Right. So if you're not yourself on social media, over 2000 followers on Instagram and then you complain that my tickets are not selling, obviously, because only those 2000 people are watching, although that also hardly 50 days out of ten people will buy your tickets, maybe through other word of mouth.

Your tickets will sell.

If you're a live artist performer, you have to go to bar. You have to pay yourself on social media.

You have to come out. It's a it's a you are you know, it's a struggle every day to come up with content. And some people do such a great job of it. Like, I get amazing when I see, like, the only thing a cappella project, you know, every day of churning out something like that. They have a plan in mind. It's not that they wake up and I'm sure they also get exhausted, but there's a proper plan to it.

And and that's why they are as popular as they are. They've got Bollywood roles, movies coming their way and things like that on Netflix coming their way. So it's a hard work which finally pays.

And I'm sure they're enjoying that. They don't. And I'm sure in some of the bad days also, they must be kicking themselves up and say, hey, let me put this up, because my fans are waiting for me to do something. I think it's very important. So I see only people who have not who have not stayed relevant to the time, you know, whatever it is like when, for example, an Instagram camera, the real you know, I could have said forget it.

Yeah. But I attended that Instagram seminar where they explained to us what real I put out some deals and I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying the format. You know, it's like, you know, earlier in cricket, you know something? I was going to play 200 runs, get tired and go sit in the pavilion and not feel because he's tired. You not today. You have to feel lost here. The ball also plus your the bat also the format changed from five to 20, you know, so you can you have to be an all rounder.

So that's what I believe in saying that you have to first of all, recognize all of the platforms coming in, acknowledging them. Don't throw them away. See what are the trends coming in as much as possible. Whatever your limitations and your strengths, I use them and relate to it. You know, if you want to be out, especially in in our business, where you have to be continuously out there in terms of this. Also, one other thing which I've seen people falling is because sometimes they overexposed expose themselves.

You know, like in our line, what happens is and this actually, I give credit to the elders who I met at the airport some few years back, and he explained to me that when people come to watch you at a comedy show, you know, there should be a base price that at this price is what I want to see a country. And, you know, you can't be underperforming. Four hundred with a ticket next year, doing a free show somewhere and showing 800 rupees to get somewhere else, the audience will get confused.

What is this? What you know, like, for example, if you go for a video that show the front door tickets are always minimum. Fifteen hundred or two thousand rupees. And the cheapest is, in fact. So that's the word he has attached to his ticket price. Not all of them will go there. Not a little bit rickshaws and crowded, little disappointed and they will not stop the show. Some of the things which I've seen many comedians do that they give very confusing signals and then they complain that nobody's buying the tickets.

Oh, my, my, my, my market value sort of is not increasing, obviously, because you yourself have created it. You know, sort of like I should also make it a point. Like any organizer comes to me and says that he to show I discuss it in Walmart, even though he's paid me up front for the entire show. I need not be bothered with what he's charging his patrons. I ask him, what is the front ticket price?

Please keep it at this. Don't even though you're making money from the sponsors, but don't understand me or don't even tell me.

I feel you brought Sindhi business flair and combined it with a little ego lessness.

And I feel that usually when people age, what happens is when your ego gets attached.

But that's probably what I think. That's why they don't reinvent that all social media is not. It's nothing for me. I'll stick to my newspapers and TV or it could be, oh, I just want to use Facebook. I don't use Instagram. Yeah, yeah. But I feel very egoless with your work and that's why I like things worked out for you also. Yeah.

Actually what we like to do is actually one location which when we sell computers and I'm not joking. So whenever there's a big order for us like some two, three crores worth of total equipment and you go there and what most of these project managers do, they'll call all the vendors at the same time. So there's an office inside the Bush administration that is going to sign an order for Ducros and reception already is called you. Also, he's got six of your competitors.

So when you go there, he said, oh, I got all my Commodore sitting here. They also get the feeling, OK, so they purposely do that.

Your first only when you enter the for the negotiations, you know that your competition is sitting there. You come down, you strip down your bare minimum wall, you know, and that's a very good purchasing things. A lot of companies do, you know, so that they purposely call people. And in our ideal cutthroat competition, people who sell computers are tended to be margins, 50 to be margins. I'm just being an example, but very, very thin margin.

You know, in our industry and in the IT industry, the margins are two percent, three percent on just two percent. And in that also, you know, pay everybody's salaries or be happy, you know, still try to make a profit out of it.

So I've come from from that cut throat industry and right in the beginning, like initially in the days. And if you come and tell everybody, listen, we don't have we are competing against ourselves. Don't create those unnecessary stupid competition. Oh, yeah. What is eBay doing? Let us do that. Or what is he doing? Let me follow that order from the collective will from our collective or they'll do this. We should do that later on spread and don't unnecessary competition compete with yourself like Shah Rukh Khan once said, you know, I only compete with myself.

I don't compete with anybody else. That's it's not that he's being egoistic about it, but that's generally it is as an actor, you try to raise the bar in every acting you do. As a comedian, we try to write or give six years back. This was my writing style. Have I brought something? Have I learned, you know, have I changed myself? Have I learned something more?

And you know of my next writing should be much better where you yourself feel very happy about it, you know?

And I think I mean, I if I look at my writing seven years back, eight years back, and now it has definitely changed, it has become better. I've become more learned. I you know, I'm reading a lot. I'm observing a lot more. I know what is right, what is not right. And it is back. You know, a lot of us, you know, I mean, in school we took all our best and Akhalaia and Wardo and now you realize that it's not right.

You know, I was a fighter. I used to be called Moto. You know, all my friends. Utica's indeed you needed to call me, but I've seen these elderlies or if they're sexy, they'll call your double battery in Bombay. If you don't, the typical Bob overpasses, you Obama, if you're Catholic, you're Mac or makeable, you know, so nowadays it's suddenly become a you cannot do all these things, you know. Yeah. So I'm think more as a I mean, if I would have not been in this country lives to be in my business, I still think I would somewhere be that guy, you know, who is not.

So I would say educated enough.

And so, uh, you know, I'm going to mention one of the tweets that my co-founder wrote, Viraj. He basically mentioned that these. It is a walk and then there's also an organic growth in every second, which is that how dare you? How do you like you and say more do how they'll even say, like, you know, whatever, like. Yeah, and they'll get pissed off about the smallest things.

And I mean, the whole point of them being over walk is about them being accepting. They want to say that OK, you know, I'm ready to accept what's it called variety and gender. I'm ready to accept what I embrace. I'm ready to accept that idea and people.

But if you go against their ideologies even a little bit, they will bounce ideas off. So anyway, that's that's the nature of the times we live in.

And it started people have become overbook. Yeah. And we just calm themselves down.

That will take time. Do you think there's actually just parental angst that's coming out as organise? Uh, no, not really.

I think there may maybe see, actually, what is also happening to realize is social media really polarizes social dilemma.

It's actually social if you see that they are trying to polarize you. And I can you can see it. You know, since last four days I saw live, I saw this on YouTube of some girl comes to an end because I was going to, I don't know, several trips. I was searching for good food and Verona's Israel ended up this one food blogger, some Gorath two, three of them will come to India. I forget the name right now.

And last three days when I open Facebook is just popping me those videos of food bloggers.

You know, what food to eat, where what you know what to do, what to do. And India, Pakistan. Last four days I just been consumed, which is the best food in Pakistan, in Lahore. And I will never go there maybe or in Iran or in Malaysia in some or some Chengdu in China, which is the best chicken do that. But that's just swing. And so today I realize I will not do that. I will go.

And what some say is exactly what happens when you are sawbuck automatically all social media just, you know, starts throwing you those superbook ideas. You it will tell you people who do follow the Super Bowl guys and it will automatically take you there. If you watch Social Ilma what we spoke about that the thing on Netflix when he said the end, you must follow some other people who are against what opposing of your views you get to vote just to balance it on.

You know, they're just so important. Yeah, I represent.

So I'm I'm honestly kind of apolitical because I my, my political ideology is that unless you can do something about it, don't have extremely strong opinions on it.

And I see most of you know, most people who are extremely strong political opinions might I'm not talking more people.

You add your ideas different my view, but in their twenties, it's like the lesser the ambition, the more extreme the political opinion. So it will be hard, go right, go hard, go left wing. And usually they're not doing much with their life. I feel like if you want to have a really strong opinion or to offer solutions or to work towards something, but that's just my opinion.

And I follow the socially liberal principle of following all the extreme left, extreme right, more apolitical people. Yeah, and I genuinely feel that's a healthy practice, but it's not something that's going to happen in our times. I think I see how the extreme left and they're only following or left the same with extreme right. Yeah. Yeah.

But anyway, have you heard of this guy, Goldwater Phillips, the guy who directed The Hangover course?

He's also the guy who directed The Joker, the latest, which is about mental health issues.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you see that, it's very dark. Yeah. And you can tell that one that Joaquin Phoenix is an extremely Nabis probably gone through trade himself and you're going to Delaware was directed. This has gone through an extremely duckpin and then you find out that the same guy directed The Hangover, which is like an iconic comedy from one of the funniest winters in my life. And then I want to go back to my teenage and my childhood, where there was a lot of Ben Stiller movies.

There was amazing comedies that used to go on and that just doesn't happen anymore. So someone asked the same question, then why don't you direct anymore? Probably the world of comedy movies needs you. And he said, I'm not going to recommend movies. This is not the age of comedy. Comedy died like around ten years back when social media came up.

Maybe because he's like, if you even go and watch The Hangover right now, there is a scene in The Hangover Island. The little guy, he picks a baby's hand and moves it to make it look like the baby's jerking off.

So if you do that now, you'll probably find people who get offended by a hundred percent or, you know, he's like, there are jokes on Mexicans in that movie and you don't everything in the country. I saw the American medical director of like the smallest is so thoughtful. Phillips said that it's not the age of comedy movies anymore. But I'll give you the flip side.

So there is like three, four gems of you do was in, you know, the first and second and would be myself Nickel Project, Bulwa, Nashik, third gen would be like a slave point.

And all the people you've seen right now, like I know the gaming guys. Yeah, yeah. And then there's a fourth gen which is extremely dank. Thank you, like very offensive. Yeah, so I think this 10 years of, you know, they get all their offensive jokes are going to come on in one offensive volcano in the. Because that's my job. But what do you think of this?

Like what do you see? Because I'm sure you would observe the comedy and the need of comedy they all over time.

And usually comedy is a reflection of the society we live in. Hmm. So do you what do you think that this is going to have?

People are going to have an offensive joke volcano. Have you ever seen a dangling bait on Instagram? I have. Very dark. Yeah.

You know, still, I think in terms of pure comedy as such, there are some people who enjoy like I honestly I know off the record, on the record I'm okay with it, but I love comedy like I know you should see the dog jokes have make with my daughters and life. And I just to say, hey, there's a new joke I'm trying to really like. I'll think of it as a comedian and I kind of think that I can't really do it anyway.

So to tell it to somebody that has to come out of my head or we have an early age group and somewhere I'll like some, it is something of that sort, you know.

And my are you my dad? You get burned alive. You say you can't even think about it.

How are you thinking about it that, you know, the angst of not being able to it like I'm sure once, you know, we should have like I mean, we won't tell you guys about it, but, you know, one room like this is a dark comedy night. They come.

That is one of those, you know, I mean, earlier this LGBTQ movement, I mean, things used to be, you know, before the section got this to be held underground, you know, so there's to be these secret groups where they say, hey, we're meeting at this bar, everybody come and have attended some of these meetings to perform there. And I support the I'm not any of these, but I support the movement very thing.

So I have some friends who are from the LGBTQ community. And I used to go there for the meetings and used to be so much fun. Yeah. You know, and it was like having a in the afternoon before today because they didn't want any the cops to come and bust them and things like that, you know, so like that we should have one of these dark comedy nights to just some messes. And, you know, we said, hey, there's a dark comedy night happening, come here.

And just everyone's coming in and opening up and removing the the angst. Yeah. And and I think people have to take jokes, you know, literally don't take them so seriously. And I don't get offended like today. I'm telling, you know, the kind of as a comedian, as a as a, as a as a Twitter, as a person who's very active on Twitter. You know, I can and I've seen that change. I've seen that change where, you know, you write the most positive thing, you know, and still there'll be six guys will get offended and flip it around and say, hey, I, I got offended.

I just to let alone man, you know, isn't there somebody also said that you guys have a sense of humor, you know, I mean you don't get any in fact, I think he was referring to his own books because he said that, you know, in college life and all in your college life don't take so much so seriously. So just have a sense of humor. Enjoy. Like I tell like I tweeted about this, you know, just give your children sense of humor.

That's it. Then they will survive for the rest of their life with their sense of humor. That's the most important thing. I think it get you to the darkest of times in India. It happens. It's happening everywhere. Like how Todd Phillips said it's happening everywhere. You know, it's overexposure to it's jittery. You have actually a tool. You know, today you can send a tweet to anybody. And it made immediate it autonomy in my time.

Fifteen years back, you know, with the address that he lives, you know, there's no there you can be listed on a telephone directory. So you're hopefully Amitava Jeonju and just put it in the mailbox, Bombadier each. And then you would write a letter, you know, take a paper, write a letter, post it, go to the post office, put a stamp or, you know, it's like he's there just to throw stones at him that, you know, so that that's actually that's why people are getting more offended, you know.

What do you think there'll be that dank volcano?

I don't think so in India, at least, it may take so it'll still be the underground movement, you know, a kind of a thing, because even though we have a very rich culture of comedy as as a nation, you know, it's not that this is an onerous 10 years old, but there has been comedy from many of them have been maybe created. There have been guys in Marathi, etc. Paula. Desmonte, you know, so many guys in Punjab and in down South, you know, Dad has always been, you know, Burbidge.

Well, what does that that is all about, you know, satire and jokes and things like that. You know, you always had a court jester. So comedy has always been a part.

But it's now that, you know. People are taking more offense to it, and as you know, I think Ricky Gervais said, you can say any time of a joke, you can joke about anything you want. You know, if you really if you take it in the literal sense. But what happens in India as a comedian also? You know, we are performing in defense of an elderly Lastra performed in Agra. Forget, I think it was Agra.

Sorry about whether it was the first time in history of what happened. Think it was that Stand-Up comedy was happening first time ever a show was happening for some of our genre.

They were al-Haddad Hasegawa. And, you know, maybe I just must have an honorable discharge. On the first time ever, 300 people turned up for the show. No, what happens is most of them are watching stand up comedy for the first time. I would say 90 percent or some of them would have travelled abroad and watch, you know, so it becomes the responsibility of the comedian also to see that you don't scare them away, you know, for being on my best doc jokes.

Think this is terrible. No, no, no, no. Let us watch, you know, on TV, you know, that's that's good for us. This is not good comedy, you know.

Oh, he insulted Modi or insulted the whole Gandhi, you know? No, no, no. This is just not good. So it becomes a response to the comedian to go and, you know, see that they accepted the room, read the room and start with simple jokes, Marathi jokes, Punjabi jokes, you know, whatever.

You know, that's a part of every standup act like you to go in on stage and actually sends the energy and then all your jokes. I always, always and you have to like sometimes what happens is that. That, you know, you as the host will tell you or the event organizer, you know, say what you want, little crowd, say, what do you want? You know, and and so what? At least most comedians will read it as a joke to see whether they really are they prepared to do that or not.

You know, and within like four, three, four minutes, they come to know whether it's an audience which is very conservative or very open to take whatever kind of jokes, you know, and you slowly take them to don't hit them so hard initially. Then they say, my God, forget it. It is not for us. You know, we doing stand up comedy is such an art form that the audience decides to like you in the first two or three minutes.

And if they love you, then you can take them for two hours or so. But if you do say something wrong on stage the first two, three minutes and they all gang up against you, then you sit there for four days. Also, they will still not like you. So that's what comedy is. So I think it becomes, you know, a response to the comedian to say that you don't scare away the audiences. If I would have gone and, you know, they'd have all got dog jokes or, you know, too many sex jokes in that would whatever.

And so next time a comedian would come who wouldn't have those jokes, you wouldn't sell tickets with no, we don't want this kind of comedy.

And I said cable qamar the word.

But I want to say that, you know, a lot of young kids say, oh, we don't like Qamar and all that. But generally speaking, you know, the kind of comedy he does on a joke on on TV, you know, he's done an amazing, great job because what I said was marriage jokes, observation jokes, what he does. But you have to see his hands are tied on TV, on radio, on FM. You can't say, for example, you can see Narendra Modi.

You always call him honourable prime minister. You can't say Muslim. You're a member of the minority community. You there are words you cannot say. You not you cannot say shifts. And I would always refer to them as a regional political party. So they under those circumstances, you can't do politics. You can't do sex, you cannot do we committed a very, very privileged we can go on stage and say what the hell we want, you know, but that mindset and I'm in spite of all that, you know, he's been holding the audiences for four years to get a great job, you know, amazing job.

How does your, like, English stand up comedy or stand standup comedy look at people like Sunil Raja Srivastav, Naveen Pravachol, all those Ludvig I grew up, my my inspirations.

You know, I just at that time there was no you know, we still not at that time we had no access to what George Carlin or, you know, for the old comedians were obviously some tapes all to come. But the first day I wash was and I think early nineties was Eddie Murphy, the delirious that came on some VHS.

You know, when I first album, I got disabusing so much on stage. And that's just the fact that when you're young, growing up, some Reges seeing the effort and time to show, you know, you get excited, but that you're like, how are you seeing all these things that he's talking about sex. He's the one making love on stage. And this my God, this is that's the first actual stand up we do I ever watched.

But I mean, coming back to your question, Johnny Lever just shows us Oneal other and in love the challenge. And we grew up. Those are our idols.

You know, maybe they're some of the times have gone because they do typically rely on mimicry, you know, and at that time, I mean, just to you know, I had met this I once performed in Gujarat with this. I forget the gentleman's name, but he was he's a very popular comedian in Gujarat doing mimicry. And we were having lunch and he's acknowledging the art form, our art form mimicry is going to die. I said, why do you say that?

He think because during the olden days, the actors had such strong personalities and voices, you know, like Dilip Kumar had a style Rajko wanted to come and do Johnny. And, you know, somebody else had to do something else, you know, a show commando style. Every actor had his own style. You know, it's Inotera, all these young and rand beers, you know, he said, I didn't do this. Probably say Ali Khan, who still has something to himself.

He's think the rest of the new crop did them tell the changing character. Every movie. They don't have a particular voice, you know, maybe fueling the other Sidiki, you know, or a fun, little fun hide in a personal, very typical style. It seems so difficult to mimic, you know, that furthered that in that sort of gender is slowly, slowly dying, still very popular in rural India and all that. But I took my kids to, you know, John Waters unsure.

I'm a huge fan of, as you know. I mean, I've had the opportunity to meet him once or twice and they couldn't get the references, you know, who's Rajkumar? Who's Dellacqua? You know, they don't know any of these guys because he was doing and mimicking. I was enjoying it. My wife was enjoying it. And they said, who? But who's this guy he's trying to imitate or mimic, you know? So that is the thing.

Wow. With all of that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So that's that's very important. All these things have changed, you know, and changing.

So I was born in 93 and in 2010 I was about like seventeen, eighteen years old. And you're fresh out of college and you're looking for shit to do other than just. Getting into alcohol for the first time in your life, yeah, and I think I was one of those first people who ended up going for comedy club shows and Mislav factory. Yeah. Yeah.

So I've seen you guys like, you know, that first genov goal makes it illegal up like I think about The Onion, one of yours all the way back, like I'm sure I might have.

But what was the thought amongst y'all when y'all like when this whole be Sanjit was happening? So what was the overall vibe in the standup community like?

What was the point of doing that? Stand up the collective, the collective, the collective, because it was rising standards rising by itself also. Yeah, but you know, that time you fail, you require some kind of a lack of collaboration in terms of, you know, doing more work, you know, like sketches like I remember when I was invited by Saurabh onto the Ice is briefer's me to have you. The panel do more shows, doing format shows, doing shows adequately for people who are looking at like minded writers, you know, who write in the same zone and things that we have found you very funny.

We found you in the same zone as or can you join us. And we would like some coffee shop in multimeter and a to make sure that we don't have an office as well. We'll meet in some coffee shops over here, would be it. Let's work together. There was no plan. There was no thought, honestly. But the idea was to like, what is happening is that brands were coming to us to create a sketch for us, you know, that we would see there were a lot of sketches everybody should put out, you know, like Valentine's Day.

How is it celebrated? And then we had to have a big sketch of eight minutes, ten minutes every we just ever so wanted to do it, which take the year and silk, which eventually happens in March. So let's have a sketch on holiday to start writing about it and then let's shoot it in February. And but first you go let's put it out like a holy how holy is celebrated in India. You know, a sketch about that. And let's do the Valley sketch.

Let's let's do a Christmas sketch. Let's do a Women's Day sketch. Let's do a lot of different roles. Then those the sketches. So that was the idea.

The idea was to build more writers on the board so more, you know, different a different creative input.

And like, for example, I mean, I think even the abbey has admitted that. We used to also say that if we had more women writers that time, you know, maybe, ah, we would have gone in other directions. Also, it was, you know, but I think somebody had I think once complained to them, I think three or four years back and somebody put up a blog, hey, you know, sketches are very, you know, misogynistic, a very male centric, and then try to do that for guys.

Asheesh, middle hand and writing the old guys. We don't think from maybe we need to get more female writers because we are not there that, you know, getting into comedy space. And so that that perspective also comes out. You know, and I remember and yes, we hired two female writers did towards the end, like when I left and a lot of sketches came out on Women's Day. And getting that and we should say very clearly, hey, guys, you write the sketches, we are just going to add a little bit inputs to it because we wanted to you always talk about, you know, but what happened?

Why did all of that culture stop?

So that I think what happened is that maybe at that time it was the need of the hour that you have connectives. Right.

You know, but after something was happening, I think each of us individually started, you know, getting a lot of brand work and things. I'm a lot of I don't think for my reason for me leaving. Yes, he was very, very personal because, see, I came from twenty five years of corporate life. You know, I did this to follow my passion, you know, like I want to wake up 1837 on a Monday morning, you know, go to a nice coffee incident.

Right. That's what I wanted as I left all I did it for six years. So when he started growing very fast and doing very well, so he said, oh, no, we are seven of us. We need a proper office. So we had an office. They said, no, we need writers. I said, OK, I decided to write a book and now we need an accountant. We need an admin guy, we need a watchman or write conjuror.

OK, now we've hired six writers.

Now we need a will to come on time. And if we don't come on time, they were not to be a target for them. Hey, guys, today we are to come out with six Meems look like today's march. Hallie's coming. Give me six ideas on each of you. Write individually. What led you to what? We were comedians. We were traveling. Which also means that if you're calling your writers at eleven and you have to reach by eleven, you know, honestly, in India or anywhere in the world, forget India.

Nobody works till everybody's dead, you know.

So which means then we started making rules that, OK, everybody, each of us also has to come at eleven o'clock to the office, which means I should lislevand you, which is in the office in April, and we'll just continue talking.

But that's that's actually me after six years with the horns.

So which means I have to leave at nine o'clock from Jeju back a lunchbox to be little seven. And I said shit, I did this for twenty six years.

I got rid of that.

I don't want to go back back into that routine of an office and an admin and timing and salary. Paying for all these other guys is good because it's challenging. They all young kids them now they are, they're getting corporate. I'm coming out of a corporate. I don't want to get into this I. And we are the best of friends to today, and we said, good, I don't honestly, I can't do this. You know, I want to follow my passion, you know, getting too much and this getting starting a company again.

I left the company to this. That was my reason. So, yes, it's still that they're doing great work and they're still they still exist. And. Yeah, and I think more also what happened was like like my first video, which I released, wasn't I said in 2012 after five years, I started on my own.

So I got to tears this year alone. Then three years out of D.C., 2017, when I released my that famous Justin Bieber video, you'll be surprised. The maximum comment I got that time was that people thought that was my first stand up comedy video.

Now, you know, they didn't know I was doing comedy for, you know, like four years, five years before that seems like there's so many comedians.

What happens is that your amazing video as a first video, this is very good. I'm completely lost by a, you know, watch me before. So that was the thing I think is the right time.

I sort of broke out and, you know, this and that. You done well from then. And when he is growing and they're doing well. So it's good. It's like I think the industry itself is growing. So I think it was the need of the hour that er we obviously closed on for different reasons. We have clothes on for different reasons. You know, S&P also closed on I think. But what has happened, the best thing about it is that now you're on your own.

You know, the pressure is on you. There is no cracks, there is no krutch. Sorry that you know, if I don't go for I know still that'll be a sketch. You have to wake up and make that sketch yourself.

You want to make it OK. Got it done on this in the end, you did you did you plan out your business game in comedy also like how do stand up comics make money in the morning? Because I know that the whole covid dynamic has created a massive hit on that industry. And the third question along with these two is, how do you manage money like nowadays? So one is in terms of the planning, yes, there is definitely some kind of a plan, just like any YouTube has all of your brand or something.

And, you know, not really in terms of evolving the brand, like, for example, slowly and steadily, you know, you sort of build on your brand value, like the example I give a you this is my ticket price. I don't you know, anything below that. I am not going out and, you know, doing comedy today, even for a corporate show, I have a minimum bling value beneath that value. I will say, no, I wouldn't be doing it.

I'm doing nothing. Maybe if you knew bad debt that is actually money, you should have done it other than sitting at home and scratching, you know, but sometime in your life, you think, what is wrong with you? Just for 10000 rupees to refuse that gig? I said, yeah, it's a point I have to make because and that's how you build your value, you know. I mean, you have to stop. You got you will get out gig for another year or next year because you're bigger than market.

Get confused. What is the real value? That's one way. So in terms of plan, you know, I think yes. That every probably two, three months, six months, you release a nice video because unfortunately, at one time we each stage you release a video and then your ticket sales just do it. Right now, that is not having all these platforms have changed algorithms so very difficult. I really can't gauge what is selling, what is not selling, but I feel vital if a video becomes so powerful, you become you know, people start coming for your shows.

So, yeah, there is a little plan. I think every comedian follows that you write a new special every year. You take it around the world if you can, and then hopefully on Netflix and Amazon will come and, you know, come to you and you negotiate and to shoot that special. That is one part of it. Second part of it. As a writer, how you're evolving, you know, consuming, what are you consuming? You know, you know, as a comedian, you're digging deeper into yourself and trying to get the better jokes out.

You know, more, you know, I would say personal jokes, more insight, insightful jokes, you know, because I think the observational jokes who finished with it, you know, regular jokes, you finish it and you go deep down and see what you can, you know. Well, that's one part of it. In the places where comedians make money, obviously, one is the ticket to shows which you sell tickets for. Number two is you get private choice coproduced.

Is that the big one, like Oprah? Yes, I think it's big for everybody and for musicians, for any art form. You know that the biggest money you make, because they are they're paying for it. Private shows pay you for it. Then we get a of writing opportunities as comedians. We are writers. So a lot of you know, like I remember in EIC and even the of able to do this Filmfare awards. So when you see Shotokan going on stage and for three years Shotokan and we were carefully going and, you know, cracking jokes on stage for three years at Filmfare, but obviously they don't have time to sit and write joke.

So we used to go writers like us write for them, you know, even some of the total today, like big balls. And so many of these comedic episodes are written by writers, comedians, writers, and people don't know that even that writing, it pays a lot with a lot.

You doesn't pay a lot to be on a Saturday because this film writers have always been there, you know, people who write for films and, you know, movies and things like that and some of the budgets, there are not some crazy budgets, OK? They are good, but good to sustain, but not some not crazy money. But yes, that opportunity is there.

And I like the writers and I'll get paid like 50, 60 Caple episode and all this maybe for a big episode. Yeah, maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that that episode I think we take a lot of time, you know, and it could maybe be a team of two or three writers writing that could also maybe I'm thinking about maybe, maybe that would go and going. Yeah. So writing is obviously a good opportunity you get and a comedic writing and especially in today's world where this becomes so difficult because you took it to say you can't do this, you can't do this, you can do this in that.

And I'm still trying to write create jokes. So writing then you get the brand works for some of us were comedians, were extremely, hugely popular, active on social media. You get some brand. You know what you get. Yeah, I think these are the. And supposing then if you if you're special comes out on Netflix and you get a good money from them. So it's yes, there is a good thing as long as you're, you know, dedicated to it, as long as you're working very hard.

I'm honestly telling you I'm working more hard and I should do in my corporate I should own a company with a lot of people working on me and a lot of more, because at that time you're sort of responsible for everybody's salaries at the thought of the money to pay salaries of fifty people, you know that pressures to be there to get money in some of the companies, that that pressure is not that, but still working more hard, I would say, because no job brand, you know, you're not selling a Cisco, which is somebody else's, but not your own brand you're trying to create.

And there's so many multiple kinds of things happen. And, you know, and so I think yeah, so the pandemic also what has happened is obviously a few comedians like me are better than some of us repoll. And, you know, I think me and I tend to think of idealize this first, that the pandemic is going to be harsh for us because live stage performances wouldn't happen. So like the pandemic, like don't happen on 18th of March.

And by 2nd April, I had my first show on Zoom, didn't know what room was and never heard of it before, installed, learned it and and sort of got into it when I hit my first show on second of April, then I had to show every week I should was actually afraid it. And I'm sure as you get out of 50 people, why not 100 people may not do as more than 400 people towards the end. So I quickly learned that.

And then the corporate show started coming on. Zoome also. So to be honest with you, I asked you, I thought of the pandemic. It was, you know, we all die, you know, it's like some weird Córdova tragic. I didn't speak any longer and and all of us thought that I was going to be like 21 days, 40 days maximum to be seventy six days because one had cured itself in forty six days. So we'll also get out of seven days, maximum hundred days, but went on for eight months and still going on.

So I did a lot of shows on that. We made money. And obviously what happened was that because all people were at home or work started coming in, you know, more than last year.

And so because I was active on social touchwood, I got a lot of those deals also. And and I'm telling you that things which I've done in this pandemic in the lockdown run, which I would have never done in my normal, like I made people pay housey to and for 24 or 24 hours a year, I hit my property.

The clients had to make people pay Kotsay. And after every no, there has to be a joke, the comedian or anybody else. You know, on this part you are thinking you've written some joke or two or three for twenty four for an Eight Forty-Eight or the day I lost my virginity, you know, so I did make people pay houses.

I've done some crazy things which I have never done that in the you know, and I think for a lot of us it was against survival. You know, I have you know, I have a family to sustain. I have, you know, so it's but rightfully, a lot of comedians have taken a creative break. You know, they said, no, I don't want to perform on Zoome. That's not the right platform. Yeah, maybe not the right platform.

I think it's 60, 70 percent do a life thing. And more than anything, even the people were wanting to some kind of a, you know, relieve some kind of entertainment. We fulfill that. And I think I was happy that I was one of the early adopters, adopters of this new virtual platform. And it's not been so bad. You know, what I had envisaged it to be and I was opening up and things. I think I think very soon.

You know, I think the worst part about this pandemic is it's you know, we initially had in June, July, we all thought how the nature has come back and, you know, dolphins are in Bombay and sparrows ever come back. You can see the Himalayas from Jalandhar. You know all that. Nothing will come out but a human being, nothing of that. So we're going back we are going back instinctively that that's not the first time I drew.

I said, oh, my God, I'm driving after four months, you know, and for autorickshaw, got me.

And I worried about the job that I became like a Jan like, well, I'm the second, you know, so I know what you did you feel.

I mean, this is a thought of hard doing the long term. Do you think you leave Mama Tumblin? A lot of people actually thinking that a lot of people think that just yesterday I was with some comedians, they were discussing that be comedians. Some people generally are thinking, hey, let's shift to Canada. Let's shift let's shift that. You know, they laugh. Comedians in the pandemic leave Bombay. They shifted to go. You know, a lot of people shifted to go because they said this.

Let me know. Let me work from home. Let me work in a more beautiful place. But no, no, I will not leave. Bombay, India, I'm told, rather a lot of comedians already here. I love, you know, and what was said and done, you know, for a come for for a comedian. And there's an amazing place to be here just in terms of the kind of content which we get. You know, we are such a rich, you know, society such.

So we languages, communities, you have Bollywood, you have politics, you have cricket, you have so many things. You open the newspaper every day. You get for four hours of comedic material just by reading the newspaper, you know, I Singapore or you go so flat, you know, and nothing happening.

You know, America still has huge debt of things happening. But this thing in India, I will never leave India. I mean, I love India is my country.

And and I think, you know, the reasons why a lot of comedians we were having the discussion. The thing is it safe to do comedy in India any longer, you know, with this very right wing? Can you say anything? People are, you know, waiting to pounce on you. They were just waiting for you to make one mistake and maybe out of the CBA, UAW, all at your doorsteps, you know, so was inaugurated.

I still am willing to take that risk.

And and as long you and what has happened is, unfortunately, comedians ourselves and censoring themselves, you know, and because if I tell you, it's not only India, all countries around the world have their own do that probably I think other than America, where you can go the night and give the president and next morning, you know, like this. But all countries like I performed in Dubai, you perform in Thailand, you perform every country has more or less things which you should not talk about, you know, which you can say, which you cannot say, you know.

But yeah. So you do that when you go. That's a similarly like her. You more or less and more. It's not it's not about that. Like for example, I don't do any religious jokes at on stage or ever, you know. And the reason is not because I don't have because first of all, I I'm for some reason but the reason I am a Hindu, I believe in Hinduism and things like that, unless there's a point to be made, you don't see.

Well, let me tell you, comedians don't get to know Hitler. Let me offend somebody to look ahead to a guy who looked like Muslim. I'm a Muslim to pick up Negahban. We just bought something. No, nobody. I mean, it would be very juvenile comedian to think that we you know, you have to have a very strong, nice opinion. And finally, there have to be jokes. You just don't offend to this.

Like, I don't do political jokes on stage ever. It's the politics that are reserved for Twitter because that's the flavor of the day. You know, something has happened. You comment on it. Yeah. And it's a genuine comment. Like, you know, just today when I was coming here, I saw I've been on Facebook since Australia's. Like just yesterday or today, I was reading on my Facebook, bring back those memories and back then I should make jokes on Gandhi and Congress or things like that, and they're all there.

You know, the fact is that is have these books are not even living, eating alive, that they're all alive and not all are using only against money. Why don't you paid by Congress?

You go to old Wheaton's here.

I mean, and I'll tell you why. This is one point which I always make.

You know, in an absence of an opposition, a strong opposition, you know, it becomes the responsibility of everybody who at least say what is right, what is wrong.

You know, like I think like sometime back I think last year Modeste was, I think anybody not just any down, OK? And all this laughing and making jokes on that.

And I would just I think this is a stupid it's an old man falling down. You don't make jokes about your father. Good for tomorrow, Mr. Stephani Feldon. I mean, I know what I mean.

I think it was very foolish when we do sit and write jokes on that or make memes about that, you know, that's again, your social dilemma, speaking to them.

Not really. I think it's more of a ghetto. It's it's a it's a I mean, it's not not something to make fun of. Yeah. But if his policy on farmers is not good, I'm going to talk about it with the field. If and one thing which I do is I don't go just because they're tired of saying, you know this. I actually I'm an old person. I read newspaper, you know, I don't believe on what the news channels are synthesising or what Twitter is.

Think I wait for a post the next day. I read the newspaper, do my own research before having come. And if I were to talk about family issue, for example, which is going on right now, I shouldn't exactly know what it is before talking about if I'm a farmer from. Yes, you supported this. They have a point. So there must, you know, at the Delhi border, but. You have to have your own opinion about it, you know, so I think that's very, very important for people to just step back and I just don't comment on anything just for the heck of it or tweet anything for the heck of it.

Step back, you know, listen, read, understand, and then post about what's the best way to get the news for a teenager today, because you are exposed again to social media and you're exposed to the media, both of which can be extremely polarizing.

I still feel newspaper nine to 10 newspapers. Again, it's not the same social dilemma. Just don't let them don't have a Hindu. How about this? And I spend one hour of my day every day reading newspaper, you know, and everything I read because you're a standup comic.

So I should do it because I'm tired to go and to do it always before I still do it. I'm like I'm an old person, so I have to have like that's that's a routine of mine since was like reading the newspapers, but instead by the family where we ever did in our house, we had a joint family. We get three sets of newspapers. So it's like we want somebody reading the Hindus in the Times of India and somebody reading the Hindustan Times.

And we all then against it. And we all read that. It's the same news, obviously, but so newschannel, TV news channel have stopped. And obviously they're all legit, you know, on social media or Twitter accounts you can follow, which gives you a fair thing of what it is, you know, feel free to name them.

I was just only really in charge of that, for example, with just telling you it's not giving an opinion, you know, faithlessness of example on YouTube. And she's a very respected journalist. She's come up on YouTube.

This again, she called the experts on what has happened to them. These are the news channels they'll be talking about form a protest. And that news panel, I think they'll get a comedian. They'll get an old retired Bollywood actor. What do you feel sorry about that guy's frickin no clue. You know, he's got a six today. Come for this man. I don't know how was a governor, you know, and maybe they'll say, Cerovic, I'm going to take this opinion and say that you're with the government.

He's anyway a right wing comedian, Aldawsari actor. So he's going on this. He has no opinion. He'll be actually on the TV show. He'll be given two words to speak only with over forty people on their channel on that debate. You know, he's just there to, you know, in his dying days to let people still know that he's alive. He's relevant to some thing. So like, say, for example, doesn't do that.

You know, legal experts, you know, and they sort of follow people like her, you know, and for the right people, basically, you know, whoever you feel around as as we already discussed, for the both sides of it, 100 percent of and you can also see how far human stupidity can get.

If I were to be allowed to snowball into something, which is what I enjoy even as the extreme right extreme left, I'm like, yo, why are you doing this to yourself?

But I actually watch Republican news debates in the night just to destress.

They're just screaming.

And I'm I just love you know, I've seen once or twice people are like actually sleeping. You know, there's not a chance to talk, you know. Oh, you started doing like this guy Galvanometer. He died. He was a editor of Outlook. You don't have to come to drink, you know, Punjabi man. Let me have a drink and enjoy it.

Fun because you're a comic book. And I do feel a large part of a comics career is observation and starting something.

Zakaryan told me that he's constantly studying everything that happened. I'm sure it's the same, but all comics.

Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, some people might say that.

Why am I asking such a heavy question on a supposedly lighthearted podcast? But do you think we're going into a better 20/20 2027? That's really happy and economically, so you happier, happier and manyways like for overall the country.

What are these guys, how they're related in observation and this like your observation on what what what's your opinion?

Do you think we're heading into a happy or twenty twenty four?

And, you know, I honestly, with the heart, I don't think there's too much polarization happening right now. Polarization is the culprit is a big culprit. And it's happening across it's happening on social media.

Happening now, really what's happened here? You know, I'm an old person, so I'm a member of a lot of WhatsApp groups. And you see the fighting, which happens before every election battle. You know, everybody brings out the beast in the family, within families. I've had friends who have told me that because he used to not support a political party, the rest of the family ganged up and said, let's not call him for dinner tonight like that.

You know, like a first cousin, let's not call him. He's the son. He's gone to a party. And his uncle has not spoken to him because of the post he put up on WhatsApp.

So it has become so polarizing. You know, it has become so polarizing that, you know, that's the worst part. And it happened. We saw it in America also not, you know, in America this election last year was election year. And this year, I don't know what to do with election year. And my American friends are there's so much polarization happening. Either you are this or that. There is no middle ground. You know, either we shoot you or you're with us.

It's it's become so it's become so bad. It's become so toxic.

People have lost the ability to perceive gray. Nowadays, just everything is whitewashed. Everything is completely full of darkness.

Absolutely. And what has happened is so I think and it's and we all understand it's all driven by politics. You know, those guys are playing such a harsh game. None of them are very interested about the country. You know, I came here still, I found because, you know, like people without clothes and asking for like one to two rupees. I mean I mean, what are we talking about on the other end, you know, and making little statues of thousands of crores and all you can, you know, give food to poor people.

Basic education. I do feel I mean, I'm not trying to say me versus you, but I do feel my generation will fix things like I would I would like applaud your ideal.

Wait, because that has to be fixed. You know, you and, uh, and also, to a large extent, you know, you said you are apolitical. So maybe when you get to the issues, you will see yourself going into one side. You will have to get into politics once you come in. That's the only way you can sort of, you know, change society on a mass level like, you know, and if you want to do some things only now, what are the area where we are right now?

You know, you will have to get into an area, local management, maybe stand for a possible election year within this constituency. And like I know he's a friend of mine. Also Zakharia, OK? He's a Congress MLA, old friend of mine, and he's a Congress guy, but he's doing a great job in Bandra. Like it.

Any boundaries and anything is a danger. You know, him I water is, you know, coming out of the streets. He'll come and he'll call fix it, you know, whatever. And the last four years, eight years, sorry, BJP has been all willing, but he's only got probably one of your guys winning from Congress. It is the Congress support because dad was the Congress of the same party. But I'm just such hard working guys who will finally be recognized.

And then you see this across constituents. You know, guys, irrespective of the political party, they still win because of the good work they are doing. And residents really want the hardware. They want simple, basic stuff here. You know, we are not thinking where you're taking you know, we really find the end of it. You want what you need and which affect you on a daily basis. You know, if somebody is going to solve that and somebody's doing a bad job or get another job, get another guy.

That's as simple as that, you know. So I'm glad to know that. Yeah. And I want more and more young people to get involved here. We need to change our country. I mean, because you are your age and I know you're hanging older, the people my age and stand up comics and all, you see a difference in mindset of the two generations and defensive capabilities also. Oh, yes.

So I'm on one. And, you know, I am a member of a lot of my WhatsApp groups, all my old uncles, all in their fifties, all my friends and all that other Erendira. In the evening I meet comedians or people like you. And definitely there's a lot of, you know, a different mindset. You know, I don't know whether. You know, I need honesty, more active participation from youngsters more and do I want to say active politics, but in some because if you're to change something on a national level, you know, you will have to you know, you've got to get yourself in the market to sort of change it, you know, and I don't know whether or not this political party is there.

All of them. All of them are crooks, to be honest with you.

And there's barriers to entry, barriers to entry. There's nepotism because the politicians there, you know, and whether, you know, you always hear this, the good guy, but, you know, finally the system pulls him down. Well, the system also makes them corrupt or the system, you know, sort of changes him when he finally gives up in an exaggeration is forget it. Here, let me go back to what I was doing. This is not my cup of tea, and it's a very verdin across the world.

It's not only in America. You name any country, Pakistan, which countries you talk about have elections and it's the same across. I hope it changes. I really hope it changes because we really require the changes. Yeah, I actually think honestly, I genuinely feel it will.

I once asked technical Guruji was OK, but you do know he has established businesses outside of YouTube and most YouTube was either doing this for fame or money and or even fame.

I think it reaches a saturation point at some point after you're doing your YouTube, you don't want that much after a point as a YouTube. Well, so I asked him, why do you do this? Why do you do so many YouTube videos?

What do you enjoy? Like, what do you get out of it? And he said that somewhere like the ability to have influence. Hmm. No, that's another way of saying I mean, people would call this ability to have influencing power. You gain power out of being an influence. Anyone becomes even one hundred thousand follower influence and has some someone to power in this world.

Of course, then I might appear you have you heard about me? And the other was the the day that guy was already shot on Instagram and he doesn't use like he does modern issues. No.

You might have seen on and said, OK, so we've had them on the podcast, on our podcast and ask them a lot of these questions about how do you actually get in and change society through politics, because they study policy a lot and they themselves want to get into policy.

But we came up with the theory on the podcast, which is that if in like I'm twenty seven thousand thirteen years in 2033, I'll be forty years old, so will many of the other influencers who also want to change up things. If I also keep in mind for 13 years will be doing social media. So we continue to accumulate people probably even more then or at least at the same level as cricket and Bollywood, if not more. Yeah, and I personally feel it might be more just because of how snowballing is happening on social media.

So in 2033, maybe we'll be in a position with a lot of good social media influencers who have money to back what they want to do and get together and create a new political movement.

But there have been thoughts like this.

Do you think the possibility is very and I think the people are really looking at a change. You know?

You know, the fact is that I mean, I'm going to try to talk about politics, but I mean, Congress as a party just to say and it's been wiped out, erm but to do it in some states, you know, they are winning, I mean they won the elections in the last one year.

They won I think and I just had a one day wonder about the status. You wonder how they are so incompetent they don't have really leadership which also I actually tweeted about it. It's actually if there's a good chance it I think in 2019 when BJP won and the fact that, you know, BJP, for example, is is so important because your question is political. Yeah.

So is that because they won and the amount of campaigning that the thousands of crores they spent, you know, honestly, you've done a great job. You don't have to spend money. The people will still vote for you. And yet they came back with a thumping majority. I'm saying I tweeted that and it's very easy, if not for a start up political party, you know, to do a good job, you know, to have the right people and into a 24 year fayaz, you can actually make a dent, you know, and but it has to be grassroot level, you know, because honestly speaking, till now, YouTube, Twitter, social media has just hardly, you know, minuscule of a population which is getting this.

And also the people who control the votes are from the details of the country, 500 million of which are not even on social media yet.

One hundred percent. And what happens is over there, you know, in order to devise fake news becomes so big. You know, it's it's a proper propaganda. It's a proper agenda. You know, one of my daughter's friends, she did a project in and up in the villages and she's from Bombay, I think in the system. They did some projects in the village of Yuppy where they said that those guys are uneducated, they don't know, they can't read the newspaper, they don't have televisions at home.

I don't want a small village in Yuppy, but thanks to Geode, they all have 4G phones, smartphones. They've got OK. And what smartphone has WhatsApp and WhatsApp has is.

News, so they look at that as a legitimate source of news, you know, and that's what it is, it sells both parties, you know, just, you know, pushing the agenda, you know, you know, four guys, guilty, high holy mother call in the village next to you will agitate any person. They think it's legit news. Maybe it's not legit. Maybe they're eating good for, you know, you know. But then what happened in all this?

Come to outing all four guys raped a Hindu girl or girl girl and start killing for Hindu guys. Muslim girl. It just it is they are all fake news. And we ourselves have been in this pandemic in Bombay. I got so many fake news. You were getting ready to go over here. This is not we have not made and the police are not from tomorrow. This is open the next Aboagye, the commissioner of police, is announcing on Twitter here, this is all fake.

You can imagine that somebody out there with a laptop, you know, with of some software making fake news, putting on big political logo, putting a signature there and then having the thing to, you know, put it up on WhatsApp and then spread it across and, you know, and just put it up.

And then this stupid news anyway becomes viral. And within seconds, everybody in the in India has it on the WhatsApp, you know, the big machinery, which, you know, the effort goes, you know, into that, I think. Can you imagine, as you rightly said, that that's the real problem, you know, and hopefully, you know, they start realizing it. But it's you know, it's a very big problem. You know, after guys are not educated, you know, they don't the countries in between I would not have really tried to reason with right and wrong.

They know that. But I'm saying that education really helps, you know, and unless I think and I bring you all my for most politicians, they rather keep that they waterbank uneducated.

You want to give them poor. You know, they want to put them in there so that they never, you know, they start questioning, but they may not be able to stop the Internet. One hundred percent, you know, but I don't know, the internet will probably get curtailed for, you know, you know, the of our lives than YouTube in India. You know, Bandy's exoskeletal given the Lisker Ben Ranvir, you know, he's getting too much into politics.

And a guru, Bennettsville country band comedians, you know, and it can very well happen. It can happen. You know, I'm not saying. But anybody can sit and nobody wants, you know, descenders. You know, we'll do our stuff. We won't do this, you know. You know, you just there was a Hyderabad municipal elections, municipal like and top political leaders of BJP were there campaigning. So that's the kind of machinery they're putting in building.

And each and every kid they know they'll win this election next year. They'll take the looks of that. So it's that kind of a, you know, machinery which are fighting against and these are political parties have been there in India for the last 70 years. You're fighting against us. I'm saying if somebody can do it well, then I think we deserve a good opposition, which was our good political party, which is really looking for the welfare of India without dividing people, you know, have these issues.

I'm telling you, I mean, we're looking at where we are today, just holding one goal. Muslim girls had to abort a child because some Muslim couple does love jihad thing, which started in Japan. I think they were already married, their children also. But still they went and, you know, beat up the husband. The woman was put in some room and she's like, miscarried her child, you know, for all this unnecessarily. I mean, this is just, you know, it's a it's a proper, I would say, propaganda, which is running.

And if and I'm not blaming it or Congress or the president, you know, they were looted the country and gone away. So it's everybody has that. But very good. If you know that the young you tuba's and the young you know this that guy I you should be spending more time on science and technology. You know, these young kids other than, you know, sitting like books and, you know, and sitting and waiting against or sitting on Congress is just sitting and waiting and against it.

You read, you know, improve your knowledge. And I think that's what it is. In 2020, the time first child of the year was an Indian gitanjali at all. Right. The first time child of the year 2020 was an Indian girl. You know, I feel generally when you absorb knowledge, you get a wider perspective. And mostly knowledge is spreading out in India.

It's already begun in urban metros. Like if you talk to 18 year olds of today, the very different from, you know, what I was like? The talk was, of course. Yeah. Just because they've been loaded with information since they were children, they got social media. And then when they were four years old. Yeah, yeah. I saw that. Information gives you a while. Even though there is that social element of polarization. This is one massive positive aspect of social media also whether it's giving a lot of information to absorb quick information.

So, I mean, back a fifteen year old sitting in nineteen eighty in some village in one corner of my deprivation was is that same village in my neighborhood right now. Maybe there's no development in the village, but those kids have the Internet and 100 percent so now they know about lions in Africa and they know about what happens in Canada and what happens in Japan, at least they have access.

Yeah, you know, this is what I realized in up comedy also, like when we were exemplary, like I said, I was there, for example, when I did comedy for that. But you don't originally references. You know, like during my time there was the kids of Bombay Delhi are much more smarter than the kids of our neighborhood, for example. It's no longer the case since many of us know. Yeah, because the Internet is a level playing field.

Everybody is consuming the same content everywhere, the same Lortab, same Facebook. And maybe in those smaller cities they're more money spending money power than you and me in Bombay, really, you know, so that is that have been like long time back whenever we saw that, you know, information spread or they also are in the same Nike shoes. In fact, they can afford it much better than you because you are spending all their time and traveling, partying that you think twice before buying that expensive.

But they probably bought the first and Nike's that really Nike's then not put it there. And, you know, Meritage, they're everywhere. Just to give an example of Nike as a brand, as a shoe, you know, so like that, you know, I mean, I went to Louisiana many years back, I think in 2013 for a show there. And they said are going to renovate the Mercedes dealer sells more money than in Bombay and they have some money.

They don't know what to do. Yeah, let's buy Mercedes, you know.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I feel that if at all, a lack of an opposition is the biggest political problem and this is nothing against any political party. They don't drive the political parties. It's not that we didn't give them opportunity.

Yeah, but I feel this will this this information spreading out at all will create an opposition at some point.

If that is in need of the hour, say, in 2013, I really look forward to it and you know, all the best.

And I will say that this should be a wake up call for a while to say that.

I mean, you can study the case of Trump and how he got elected. It was basic business and sales skills and communication skills, which I actually feel are lacking in our country.

There are less sales skills, less communication skills and less business skills. This country needs just a few, maybe four or five really sharp businessmen to enter politics and change up everything. Nick, you have you seen that bad boy millionaire? Yeah. So, I mean, a guy like Sahota, he definitely do a lot of money, but he also controlled a lot of power at his peak. I'm not talking about what eventually happened. And he did that based on good sealskins.

He just knew how to sell himself and his brand and his idea. And businessmen don't enter politics because of what you said. And I don't want to get into that Guitard and I don't want to get my clothes dirty. But I also think that's going to change in time.

Yeah, it should change. So that's my big as long as good people come in, politics is always welcome, you know. Yeah, yeah. I you know, I'll tell you what, I'll go as far as saying I do believe the people at the top, even if they are good and I read this in a book by you and what I read about the concept of power, especially political power, your whole reality gets morphed where even if you go to a party with twenty one of the top businessmen in the country, other top celebrities in the country, everyone wants to suck up to you because you are the one in power.

Not that's the 21 top celebrities in the country. Imagine what the people who work with you are treating you like. So the people who work with you are treating you like you are the shit. I will do anything for you so it morphs.

No matter who you are, it morphs your own mind as well. So I feel that even of the people at the top have good intent and they have these dreams for India, it's all the layers under them that end up corrupting their mindset, maybe more corrupting the country.

All the negatives you speak about, any political political party may not be the guy at the top, maybe all the others.

And but we because I mean that particular person face of a particular political party, all the blame goes on at al-Amoudi.

So anyway, that I totally agree with you. I agree with you here because I genuinely feel that Modi must be having a great sense of humor that he's talked about since he times, you know, the third or fourth time. He's not worried. But is the the the the bucks around him, the you know, the people who lived up that bargain so much that, you know, and it's not that Modi is this coming? He has worked hard for it.

Yeah. He's been a political party from Odyssey's and from years. You know, it's not that he just rolls up one day and said, hey, I'm the king.

You know, I do appreciate that he is gutsy like he will do even even if it's a miscalculated move. We will try to Benghazi. What I don't appreciate is obviously a lack of inclusion and all that's happening in our country. And it was all planned. This is all planned. This is all is a part of a bigger agenda, you know, which maybe the extreme right wing is forcing on him. And and then then then you're assuming the shocks.

Then you have to swim with them. Then you can't ignore them in any more political broadcasts, you know, don't know much about it.

Let's change the subject. Let's talk about sex. It was about sex.

How does sexuality and as you grow older do what is the role of sex like? Oh, no, no, no, no. We we do talk about sex a lot on this broadcast.

OK, great. Let's talk about it. How does it and the reason I'm asking you this is I was with a friend last week who is twenty, twenty six years younger than I am not taking care of his body, all never taking care of his body. He's not out of shape completely, but just smokes like that. You need drinks like a fish and then like it also eats a lot of junk. He's starting to get erectile dysfunction type issues at twenty six.

Oh like Colonial's obviously.

And I'm just like, how did this happen because and most of my other friends are all really fat, play football, everything's working great. But I also see a whole section of guys on that are front.

So one I'm sure when you get older you see a lot of your own friends with Eddie and things like that. Yeah, but what how does sexuality change for a guy like going forward? Actually, I think, first of all, the. Oh, my. I don't think that's changed any bit that still today, I mean, I don't have any issues.

What do you see people around you? We don't discuss it.

I think guys will never discuss it. Oh, I never hear that.

I don't know. But I'm just saying that. No, I think, guys, we don't discuss maybe, you know, like women.

I know my women friends, like my wife's friends, they talk a lot about their sexual lives among each other and the kiddie parties and this and that. And like what?

Like because I'm assuming I mean, understand, you know, what is sexual life in your 20s when you're not married and it's different. But how do you talk about your sexual life in your 40s?

And like, I have had like so, Ali, what we you know, we live in these old age. You have this couple, Kiribati's all couples get together.

And what needs to happen is a true story. And I was a member at one time and I've stopped all this like my comedy days and I've stopped all these guilty parties. But so before then, a lot of this couple usually that, you know, parents of your other children, same schools, you have a school couple kids group, then a neighborhood kid and some friends. You grew up with that special and you meet once a month in somebody's house at a restaurant is just like a it's like a fixed dinner.

They look forward to it because you're eating something nice place. You know, local restaurant will all go there.

And what needs to happen is like listen to all the guys on one side, all the women on one side, and you go to the guys are in the fucking most boring side of everybody.

I dissing Disembody or Will Gandhi or talking about in your BMW that one of the parties realized that he was a but a BMW car. And I never knew till then was you know, that BMW doesn't give you one of these German car, don't give you a spare tire. And I said, why is he not only I'm I'm amadio not an affair to carrying on.

And already you have that extra that Stepney in your Deqi, you know, because these new cars, they don't they even if they that there's a puncture, it can still drive 100 kilometers so that you reach a place and you have better things. I had to realize that. So I got a new one. But I do pay for the extras, you know. So I learned early. So dull, boring talk happening there. But once you come on the women's side, all the ladies, all the guys gossip and Mahallah and this just happens.

I used to always spend five minutes then going sit with the ladies and get a lot of material from them, you know, like what they do, every bitching their mother in law that the teacher or the school or things like that. So that isn't a fun part of this. But I mean, that's actually definitely changes. You know, you definitely your libido does come down and that's the way it has to be explained. And but still, I think it's I think as long as you're physically fit, as I think there's a lot of this with physical fitness, definitely.

You know, I remember I stood under I ran the marathon for thirteen years, half marathon and really practicing and libido fucking goes through the roof, you know.

I mean, I used to write about it, you know, like it.

Like I was you reached the finish line. You just wanted to come, you know, and we can say this.

I don't know.

You can you can like because you're exercising so much and you're eating the right stuff and, you know, you're doing weight training. And I think that that definitely sort of keeps your, you know, healthy. There's no in our old age group fifty and all these you know, you hear these messages like you must jog off every day to keep your prostate so that you don't have prostate cancer, you know, so you you you get all these messages.

So the messages have changed, you know. Oh yeah.

And but yeah, I think guys, LCB guys hear what the guys your age who are maybe not at the peak level of happiness, what is causing that lack of happiness is that not being in the correct job. Guys, women, men and women. And I don't know, I really not I think people who are not happy, as you know. Do you have friends who aren't happy? I'm sure.

I'm sure. I think I know what they've not really expressed. I don't know. You sense maybe.

You know, guys of my generation, we don't open up too much, you know, to each other. Like nobody's gonna be able to say, hey, dude, I mean, this is very close to me. And still, you will be very skeptical of telling me, hey, dude, I'm having a financial problem. You know, he'll think that maybe he's coming to me to ask for help or things like that. But generally, what you hear, what you see and we will have lost their jobs.

Like, I know two or three of my friends have lost their jobs in this pandemic. Obviously, they must be unhappy, but they've never come to me and say, hey, dude, I'm unhappy about it. But I think what bothers people is that obviously job security, financial security, you know. I think I think these are the main two issues which are there, which really bother people my age and rightfully could be. I think the happy they would have been separate and they are like, I'm married for 27 years now, you know, happily married, and I'm thinking somebody would have been unhappy, they would have probably had their differences.

Yes, people do have unhappy marriages also. But during our time, you know, I think that the problem was I think which is not the current generation of really comparing this, is that there I think are too much pressure from family, from society to, you know, still sort of power to a bad marriage, you know, and so that look going or it'll affect children or things like that. I think now I think rightfully I think today rightfully.

I'm saying that if you don't get on with the partner, you know, within three or four years, five years, even if you have had a child, you can maybe separate and say, hey, OK, that's you know, I'll take care of the child, but let's separate or whatever. You know, you can have that arrangement of financial arrangement. And the other arrangements are that I think that in today's generation. I think that acceptance, it's about it.

Divorce rates are going up and, you know, it affects the child and things like that. I don't know what is right. I think even going through a bad marriage and, you know, being unhappy for 26, 27 years, living with a partner which you don't like or you don't sleep with a partner because you just don't want to, you know, that you lost all the connection. But still your partner, because her parents are like your parents and you think it's too late in life not to, you know, sit in, separate and go to the divorce settlements and things like that.

I mean, that is bad. But do, you know, split right now? And I remember I came to know this was in 2006. I went to the UK to perform. And I have this I have this. You know, all we had is marriage jokes. All my life troubles me and this and that. And it kills an didn't live, you know, it didn't do well at all. And I as a comedian, if I look amazing because you're the audience is wondering if you're so fucking unhappy with your wife, don't sit on stage and fucking complain, Leveau, marry somebody else so they don't get the perspective of a guy for 27 years in marriage or any else's marriage.

Still talking about how his wife doesn't treat them properly or how it you know, that is what I was if I had to leave it and go, yeah, start a new life, why the fuck are you on stage complaining and whining about it so that cultures are different? You know, you do understand the culture of a city where you go to perform also the country you perform.

Yeah, I've actually met over.

So I was like, yes, super positive vibe, just like you. Selfish question you. I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately and I'm single right now, but if the right person comes along, I'd love to date for a while and then get married. Yeah. And honestly, I feel at least on the outside and I've never spoken to you about your marriage, but I feel like you guys have a great equation with each other.

I'd like your best friend. Is that the reason why it's worked? And what advice do you have for young guys who are thinking about getting married? So first of all, so, yeah, I suppose I had a love marriage, so I fought against my parent's wishes and got married to my wife. So I have not seen she's not in this is Punjabi. Oh, giving us an economy is like more or less similar. But still, my parents wanted me to have an arranged marriage and I had like fought with them for one year and talked to me for six months and then finally they reconsidered, says, OK, I get married to her.

So and we were going on for like two, three years. Then I told my parents they didn't agree then for six months this entire thing when my parents were not talking to me. And then finally one day they came and said, OK, fine, and then we got married and things like that and all.

Oh, and that there was a time, but also, you know, I mean, just to just go to that point, I was not financially independent, you know, I just got out of college and got into work and things like that and, you know, joined my brother's business and, you know, this computer thing. So I was not finding out where to go to help it do. I'm leaving home and, you know, going you know, maybe those are not the times that you could do that.

Maybe now you can. Now it is. I think it's like, well, time to start running the step dad, mom, even I'm moving to a house three blocks away from you. But I want my space, you know, the space thing.

And all the time, you know, we didn't have the balls of yet another thing to also tell our parents about it. So you got to basically keep them happy somehow, you know, and say that. So, yeah. So it was a love marriage. And you have you been best of friends? And still today, like, we can't think of a holiday without each other. Like, yeah, we may see all the need I need, like this pandemic, this thing my wife said and I'm because I travel a lot because of comedy and the eight months I've been at home.

And after one time she said, listen, I'm sick of it, just go somewhere.

I want to I want a solo holiday. You know, I said, yeah, I'll go take it. And then she said said, Anything you want to come along with it?

You'll be the room. I'll be the room. We want to talk to each other, but come with me, you know? So I said, yeah. So we I think we've had our ups and downs, we've had our fights, we've had our issues. But somewhere down the line we have sort of reconciled. And we've also grown as individuals, you know, and time to say that maybe I think as husbands you tend to say, OK, if I get let's not fight.

And if I need to own sex life, she's the sole provider. So who the hell are you to fight with your you know, you don't mess around with your dealer. Yeah.

So yeah, I think that was and I'm just joking. Yeah. But yeah. So I think. OK, so if you find a person, if you find the right person who you feel you know, and it's like, it's like today that things have changed, you can live in it for, you know, like your parents might say, OK, I've spent some time together. Husbands may say things have changed. You know, like I'm sure your dad mom must be very cool about it.

Like, you know, they're from Bombay. They'll say, yeah, OK. Spent some time with her, you know, go for a holiday together, see yourself out, because they also don't want you to, you know, find her parents were not right or wrong. But then after three years, four years, you know, because what is happening is also let me tell you of people, you know, I think a little tolerance levels, the more you know, like if your mother in law would have said better carbon atom and dramatic and filmi, her and my Massoudi calcium up narcotic Wrangell make Bitterfeld go through a cookbook today.

The man I said, but I calculated go fuck you whether you're making a man, you may say on the tolerance levels and of which is rightfully, you know, you're not going to change. And so yeah. So I'm just saying it's good to spend some time with her if you filed.

You know, and one more thing. You do realize that you as an individual, even though you're smarter than what, as a 27, you're much more smarter than what I was when I was twenty seven years in my life. Have you not read more? You have been through more the times of the Internet. Just maybe change, as you said, but at the end of it. You may have to definitely make adjustments, so don't be a fucking dictator.

I'm not going to change this.

You know, I you know, I will you know, I don't want to lose my freedom. Obviously, your freedom will get curtailed once you have children. You can't go further. Boys, night out.

I used to go football and I doubt if your child is crying with your wife. Got to you know, children at the right time will get to something. They certainly have something in the stomach and the children just not crying for fucking no rhyme or reason. And there was it's going to give them someone some despicable something. It was so old, the medicine, Dr. Padilla, pick something up. And then after having a child stops, you know, the neutralises got to pick something that you think will happen that ovulating up at lunch, you know, your child.

And that has happened many times. You know, they used to make plans and say, hey, tonight, partying and all that and that that evening your child comes with a running stomach and crying and, you know, you take care of the child. You don't leave them with him or her with the maid. So all the things that you're prepared for, those changes, you're prepared to grow up a little bit, accept it, live with each other, and then power through the things that and not that the first and then go fuck it.

You forgot about the whole you.

No, no, not work through it, you know, and then. Yeah, definitely do get married. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, the reason it is on this part is a very handsome guy, lovely new student molalla.

So happy, happy to go to any Punjabis also was the same thing or anyone is in the equation seems to have worked.

So I'm glad at all country. Thank you for sharing your happiness man. I feel, I feel your genuine one of the happiest people I know. Thank you so much. Oh really. It was an honor having you on the show and I'm going to linger. Handle's Downbelow. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you so much. All the best they can.