Archana Asthana
Masala Comedy Club’s (MCC) 6.0 version exceeded expectations with its sharp wit and beguiling humor at every step. This penultimate show was their biggest with sold out seats last weekend, a testament to their soaring popularity.
The eight comedians, as is the format for the lineup, were all engineers, and host, Ritwik Verma quipped about how in India, it is only the failed engineers or politicians who are funny, and proceeded to impersonate some recognizable politicians for the desired effect.
Opening the sequence was comic, Ashok Vijay, who expounded on the trials and tribulations of husband improvement plans, concocted by wives, which include going to therapy for the reluctant husband. Even more galling for him was having to take responsibility for his own mediocrity, due to the lack of a father that was the opposite of abusive, controlling, manipulating etc…all the reasons that merit blaming the parent?
Next up was a comic, new to me, Ankit Bhargava, who wanted to learn to make “joints” as part of his engineering curriculum, except they turned out not to be what he imagined! The raunchiness was very much in focus throughout his set, as he kept up the sharpness and wit in punchline after punchline. Bihar, where he was a student, featured prominently where kidnappings to wed these engineers were rampant.
Veteran comic and an electrical engineer, Neha was sparkling with wattage, even as her husband purportedly could only mutter “Om” (a pun on Ohm, the electrical unit). She deftly wove together the problems in America, such as too many forms to fill out, too many choices, and mixing in subtle doses of current politics, taking jabs at relatives…all the while relating an encounter with a pest in the house and its eventual fate.
Rajiv Nema analyzed the do’s and don’ts, the why’s and how’s of tipping etiquette, so prevalent here, and disliked by Nema, who bases it on our Indian mentality of not appreciating, and tipping is meant to do that. In the Indian way, money exchanges hands to coax the workers to get the job done; appreciation is a far cry! Along the way, we were regaled by his fine dining experiences, and the pressure to tip, especially when trying to impress both the good looking waitress (“host”), and the fuming wife!
Shiv Jayaraman’s beguiling disclosures of his abode in “upscale Saratoga” continued the fine dining saga, to the point where the audience may have even learned a little French! The “Hinglish” component that MCC is known for was truly shown in this segment, with puns and double entendres delighting the audience.
Snehal Pachigar’s traumatic experience with family drama and its reversal on his visit back home leaves him wondering until he figures out that he is the reason for the personality change. The show ended with Ritwik Verma explaining how “contempt breeds familiarity” could be true through his relatable college shenanigans.
MCC remains unparalleled in delivering a quirky, creative take on everyday affairs and made them belly achingly funny, as was evident by the constant roars. One more show to go on Nov. 21st, so catch it if you can.
Photo Credit: Vinay Vijay Kumar & Rajesh Tripathi
Also Read: Laughter is the best medicine…
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