Malayalam stand-up is gaining acceptance like never before in Kerala

Stand-up shows on television and a comedy collective are popularising the genre in the State

Move over mimicry and comedy skits. It is time to roll on the floor with laughter with a group of young stand-up comedians. Cochin Comedy Project’s (CCP) show ‘Sobha Chirikkunnille?’ (Sobha, aren’t you laughing?), a live ticketed show, is one of the performances that is going places.

Malayalam has perhaps one of the oldest, traditional versions of stand-up comedy in any language, Chakyarkoothu. The performer had the right to make fun of every person in the audience and neither King nor priest was spared. However, even as many forms of parody flourished in Kerala, the modern version of stand-up comedy never really caught on, as in metros such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru. But, over the last two years, the genre has found many practitioners and takers.

While CCP, a collective of stand-up comedians, has a lot of shows lined up, the popularity of stand-up is mainly on account of two television shows, Funs Upon a Time on Amrita TV and Oru Chiri Iru Chiri Bumper Chiri on Mazhavil Manorama. People across age groups are making a beeline to do stand-up in these shows. In fact, members of CCP too have performed in these shows before they became part of the collective.

A recent example of stand-up going mainstream is a stand-up comedy competition organised by Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), in connection with its 65th anniversary celebrations. It was open to both the public and KSEB employees.

It has been only 10 years since stand-up comedy went professional in the country. But, in Kerala, stand-up could not edge out mimicry and comedy skits.

Deepak Mohan, founder of CCP, says: “When I found that there is a scope to develop Malayalam stand-up, I thought of exploring the scene. I did a live ticketed show in March 2021, ‘The Irony Man’.” He was later joined by Sabareesh Narayanan and they did the first show of ‘Sobha Chirikkunnille?’ in Kochi last November.

The other members of CCP are John Joe, Aneez M Latheef, Mahadevan AR and Arjun Sajikumar. “We have performed in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. At each show, stand-up performers from those places join us on stage. There are 13 others who work with us now. We also do open mic shows in Kochi every week to test our content,” says Deepak.