BANGALORE: The second edition of India's first comedy festival Foster’s LOL Evenings featuring Weirdass Comedy held at Jayamahal Palace Hotel recently was a testimony to the growing popularity of stand-up comedy in our country. The evening boasted of some well-known and upcoming stars in the stand-up comedy space such as Tanmay Bhat, Ashwin Mushran, Kavi Shastri, Amogh Ranadive and Kaneez Surka. Every actor had something to offer in their individual acts. But, Tanmay Bhat, who was also the host, undoubtedly stole the show with his histrionics and jokes about Bangalore and not to forget Namma Metro, which had the audience in splits. Ashwin Mushran was at his natural best and Kavi Shastri requires special mention for his mute comedy act and subtle humour. Kaneez Surka was a welcome change to the all male comedy act whereas Amogh Ranadive was a disappointment, though he has much greater potential. There was a sketch dedicated to Bollywood and a section on the IPL (TV show Extraaa Innings), where they made fun of anchors/TV presenters who seemed to talk about everything except cricket. There was also a series called Shit Delhi guys never say which left the audience wanting for more. The humour was packed with topics ranging from Bollywood, media sensitisation, Indian Gods, relationships to politics. With audiences ready to experiment with different forms of entertainment, the crowd is slowly moving away from the multiplexes to spaces dedicated for stand-up shows, as the rise of comedy clubs is making night out a serious affair.The art of stand-up which is a huge hit abroad, is quickly catching up in India with its promising talent and with this unique initiative. Next week comedy rock band Alien Chutney will be performing as part of the Foster's LOL evenings and stand-up comedian Vir Das will be entertaining the Bangalore crowds too.
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