Charlie Chaplin once said, "A day without laughter is a day wasted," and here we bring you the Wellington stand-up comedians who are making sure you get your dose of laughter.
Among the great line up of Wellington comedians, when we look closer through the lenses, there some interesting ones who share and cherish their Indian connection. You could watch them performing at various events around Wellington and sometimes in Auckland and Christchurch as well.
One name that’s popular in Wellington and the New Zealand Comedy circuit is Jerome Chandrahasen, who has been making sure that we get our dose of laughter for ten years now. Jerome started Humorous Arts Trust in Wellington that supports and encourages stand up comedy talent by providing them with a platform to perform. He is a regular MC and has performed in multiple NZ Fringe Festivals, as well as hosting the Wellington Raw Comedy Quest, and appearing on TV2's Christmas Comedy Cracker hosted by Rhys Darby. 2014 performances included his solo show Same Same Different at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London's 4 Kiwis Walk into a Bar with Jarred Christmas, and as a speaker at the Oxford Union comedy debate.
Another familiar comedian making Wellington laugh for seven years is Sanjay Parbhu. Sanjay has been performing in the capital since 2010; he has played in bars, colleges and charity events and has been in multiple lines up shows during the NZ International Comedy Festival. His style of humour is a combination of storytelling and hyperbolized observations done in a high energy performance. He also helps out behind the scenes with technical assistance for multiple shows.
Along with Jerome and Sanjay, the other popular and upcoming Indian origin comedian giving Wellingtonians laughs are Advait Kirtikar, Aakarsh (Aku) Dalmia and Sowmya Hiremath.
Advait is an award winning comedian. That award being the '2011 Dux of Heretaunga College', which he received for studying really hard and doing well in his exams, and because of he 'quacks' people up. Advait began comedy two years ago in Christchurch when he entered the Raw Comedy competition. He didn't make it past the heats, but he kept at it, worked hard and was rewarded a few years later because Advait was the runner up of the Wellington Raw Finals in 2017, and then performed in the 2017 National Raw Finals at the Q Theatre. He has also been nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2016 Wellington Comedy and performed at the event as part of the new comic showcase.
Aku started his Comedy career in Wellington less than a year ago and made it to the Semi-Finals of the Raw Comedy Quest. With humble beginnings in India, Aku moved to the United States at the age of 15. In a short time, he has managed to perform with seasoned comedians such as Raybon Kan, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Jerome Chandrahasen, Patch Lambert and Li'i Alaimoana. Aku's comedy roots are about his experiences of moving to the US and the complexities revolving growing up in India.
Sri Nair was born in India, raised in the Middle East and currently is a resident of New Zealand. Sri's comedy style is based on the observational humour of three cultures. He also occasionally talks about his fear of spiders and the presence of Indians in Hollywood movies.
Sowmya Hiremath recently joined this interesting bunch and called herself an intern here. Her comedy springs from her observation and the idiosyncrasies people carry around including her mom. After years of life experience as a woman, at a desk job, growing up in India and moving to New Zealand, she calls it a well-marinated start.
You can watch them at various comedy events in Wellington like Raw Meat Monday, The Medicine, Dank at Fringe Bar, Hard Cases at Cavern Club and Young Guns at San Fran.
The next Young Guns show on Thursday, August 24, has Sri and Sowmya in the line up along with other young Wellington comedians.
Lastly, as Stephen King said, “You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favourite chair and stays as long as it wants.” These Indian origin comedians are definitely here to stay to make sure you sit in your favourite chair and have that dose of laughter. Watch out for their shows on event finds for weekend gigs or drop by at Fringe bar on Monday, Wednesday and Cavern Club on Thursday to watch some of these comedians regularly.
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