Stand up comedian Sorabh Pant’s first performance was an unmitigated disaster. Here’s how he builds up a joke

This comedian wanted a dog. But his wife wanted a baby. So, they had a baby. And, neither of them has slept ever since. Stand up comedian Sorabh Pant’s jokes are about wonderful insanity. From the fun stuff like trying to have a baby and the gory stuff like actually having one, he has experienced it all.

Regarded as one of the best-cum-most-travelled comedians of Indian right now, Pant has done 300+ shows over last three years. Call it “intelligent buffoonery”, “just really, really loud” or, “arbitrary screaming with jokes in the middle” – Pant has been described by the media by all these phrases.

To demonstrate his comedy would be like digging underneath of why Indian men are champions of leching or a comic approach to exposing the sad tale of Taj Mahal.

Business Insider caught up Pant recently to understand the building of a joke, the thought process behind it.

Excerpts from the interview.

How do you plan a joke?
Different ways. Usually, I just keep making notes on anything and everything. It could be something about my son, my wife, politics, history or whatever. Then I read the notes. Try and write on them. And, depending on how the writing shapes up - I try it on stage. In small rooms. If it works there - I do them in big rooms. And, big shows. It's surprisingly really, really boring! But, I love the process.

How important are jokes to a comedian?
Obviously, VERY! Without jokes - I'm just an A-hole on stage ranting about needless things and gaining hate. Which happens often enough.

How important is the performance?
It depends on your comedic style. I tend to rely a lot on performance. Because a lot of my content is personality based. It's about having fun on stage and trying to be smart and silly and juvenile and occasionally insightful. I fail but, still.

Sometimes a sub-standard joke can be sold with a really good performance. But, it's rare. The script is prime importance.

How do you target a joke?
I used to do all sorts of stuff like mind mapping and stream of consciousness and all sorts of writing techniques, when I started. Now, I just write. And, now I'm also just trying to figure out what I want to be saying.

Why is it necessary to maintain hostility in joke?
It's not necessary at all. You mix it up. If all your jokes were hostile - that would get exhausting.
You try different things: joy, silliness, hostility blah blah. To be honest: there's nothing less funny than analysing a comedian's style or writing.

Is exaggeration a dire necessary while cracking a joke?
The answer is above. You mix it up. There is really no ONE way to write or deliver a joke.

Is it necessary to have a surprise factor?
The very essence of a joke is surprise. That’s like 90% of the time. There's also occasionally relatability of the content.

But, a joke is a joke. Laughter is essentially a fear based mechanism. Fear comes from laughter. Again, surprise is not necessary but, it helps in some jokes.

Tell us about your first comedy performance in life?
My first big performance was at the gorgeous IHC in Delhi. It was an unmitigated disaster. I was supposed to do 11 minutes - I did all of it in 4 minutes. Because I was nervous. My next ten performances were the same. In fact the first year as a comedian I was constantly questioning why the hell I'm torturing myself like this.

Sometimes I still do.

But, then you have a phenomenal show and a great crowd and it makes you better and people laugh and tell you they forgot all their worries watching you: and, that's all you need. That's what makes you throw yourself in front of 300 - 1000 people every second night of your life. You need to make them laugh. Because laughter is the one thing that works in your life.

Can stand up comedy be a full time profession for budding stand up comedians? What are the cons in the industry?
It's like any other career. It's not going to be coasting. You WILL NOT make it if you think it's a world full of slackers and you can get in and drink around and do nothing and you'll suddenly be the greatest comedian in history.

You have to work pretty hard. Some work harder than others. But, the list of India's top 30 comedians is full of people that have worked pretty hard. Even though comedians perform when other people are chilling - it's not always a chill job.

Some parts are great - the traveling, the cities, the love from people but, it takes a long, long time.