Sep 22, 2018
Engineer-turned-stand-up comedian Appurv Gupta was recently in Jaipur for a show. While Appurv has performed in Jaipur for corporates and brands, this was his first public show here. We caught up with the comedian to know more about his experience of performing in the Pink City. “I tried to perform in Jaipur last year, twice, but I couldn’t sell many tickets. Maybe because the stand-up scene in Jaipur wasn’t as flourishing as it is currently. It was a great experience this time and we got a decent footfall,” he said. Appurva Gupta at Jawahar Circle in Jaipur (Shalini Maheshwari/BCCL) ‘In Jaipur, you can experiment as much as you want in comedy' Appurv added, “I had a great time, and going by the response from the audience, I think they had a great time too. The best thing about Jaipur is that it is still an untapped market and you can experiment as much as you want. Unlike other cities, where you must perform in a certain style, or the content must be in accordance with the city’s taste, and only then you will get a good response, Jaipur is open to anything and everything. You can experiment as much as you want. And if you are good, you will get a good response from Jaipur’s janta. The audiences, especially the youth, surprised me with their reception of jokes. I wasn’t expecting such a great response. Their reaction says a lot about how much Jaipurites love stand-up shows and I hope the stand-up scene flourishes further in Jaipur. The city has the capability to become one of the major hubs of stand-up comedy in India.” He appreciated the fact that how local comedians have come together in Jaipur and started open mics. On the popular notion that smaller cities are a tad conservative, Appurv opined, “I think there are two types of people in every city – the ones who are extremely conservative. Their ideology and thinking haven’t changed with time and they still stick to old beliefs. Then there is a section of people who simply love the concept of stand-up comedy. They are open to all kind of jokes.” Appurv's love for Jaipur's pyaz ki kachori The stand-up comedian is a self-confessed foodie. Hence, he didn’t miss a chance to gorge on Jaipur’s famous pyaz ki kachori and traditional Rajasthani thali. “I love the food here. Jaipur aaun aur yahaan ki pyaz ki kachori na khaoon, yeh toh ho hi nahi sakta. But this was for the first time that I tried the Rajasthani thali,” he said. And how was it? “Delicious,” summed up Appurv.