The Flare Exclusive
“We're good, but chicken tikka and beer's better.”: Comedian’s Atul Khatri and Neeti Palta talk about the nitty-gritties of comedy.
by AROMA KUMAR
April 18, 2018
If you're an Indian who is not familiar with Neeti Palta's comedy and does not recognise the moniker, "The Horny Sindhi" then you, my dear are living under a rock.
Courtesy of GIPHY
Former CEO, Atul Khatri left the corporate industry after 26 years to start a career in comedy at the young age of 44. Initially working with the likes of comedic geniuses such as Sorabh Pant and Angad Singh Ranyal; Atul Khatri left the East India Comedy (EIC) to pursue a solo career bringing in a fresh 40+ perspective into the scene of Indian stand-up.
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From writing in advertising to stand-up, Neeti Palta is among the best in the English stand-up scene in India and brings to it what it direly needs – a female point of view. She is popular for being the writer for five seasons of Sesame Street’s Hindi-language adaptation – Galli Galli Sim Sim and is best known to have opened the show for Russell Brand in the Comedy Central Chuckle Festival held in Delhi in 2015.
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Both comics were recently in Dubai on the February 24 performing at the MNC Gala Dinner 2018 organised by the prestigious India Club. In an exclusive interview, Atul Khatri and Neeti Palta discuss fame, women in comedy, sensitive topics and Justin Bieber that concludes with a bone-tickling not-so-rapid fire round.
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When I questioned Atul about the effect on his Sindhi brethren caused due to his decision to pursue full-time stand up; the comedian remarked that “[he] found more money here [in comedy]”, all the while giggling to his own self-deprecating humour. He even went on to explain his unexpected departure from the EIC not before massively trolling them by remarking “EIC became popular because of me” that ignited one too many giggles from Neeti and me.
"... soon there would be more female comics in India versus globally" - Neeti Palta
Upon researching Neeti, I found that most sites described her as being a ‘female comedian’. The presence of the prefix ‘female’ being far too obvious and prevalent to which she laughingly quipped, “it used to bother me initially, but I’ve got so many jokes out of it that it doesn’t bother me [anymore]. But I guess the fact is if it is unusual for a woman to be in a certain profession, then it does get tagged over and over again, like a female pilot or something.”
"... In comedy, there's something called as the fourth wall. So there are three walls, and the fourth wall is the audience... ... the audience within two minutes knows whether you're telling the truth or you're lying; they can see through you..." - Atul Khatri
Sharing his experiences, Atul remarks being accompanied only by his wife to his first open mic due to being apprehensive of his daughters’ and parent’s reaction to him pursuing comedy at his age. He said, “If I told them, they would have said, the old man [Atul] has gone crazy… It was a slow reveal. Even to my parents; they too did not take it kindly initially. But slowly and steadily, they realised that this is what makes me happy, and they’ve even received compliments because of my work.”
Coming from Delhi, Neeti is always faced with dilemmas when it comes to fame such as “when a guy is staring at me, I’m always confused if he’s ogling or genuinely smiling because he recognises me.” Although Neeti said this in a lighter tone, it does throw light on the growing problem of women harassment in Delhi. She prefers not to be situated in the middle of the fame spectrum - “I want to either be really famous or not known at all, so I know which way to react.”
Like most stand-up comics in India, Atul and Neeti use their professions and platforms to present perspectives on a variety of subjects such as the politics, Indian idiosyncrasies, current affairs etc., while simultaneously encouraging people to open dialogue on topics previously considered stigmas such as menstruation, sex and much more.
To appease a comedy lover's soul, The Flare brings you some breaking news – Atul Khatri is back in town for a live gig at the Dubai College Auditorium on May 4th at 7.30pm. Click here to get more information or to purchase the tickets.
Watch the exclusive interview video and see for yourself all the fun and laughter that went into knowing how these incredible comics have made it to where they are today.
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