Like most Indian comedians, Rahul Subramanian had a successful corporate career that he walked away from. Armed with an MBA that has become almost irrelevant, he is now taking the Indian standup comedy scene by storm. Unfortunately, for Australian audiences, his solo show at the 2018 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was delivered predominantly in Hindi, making it inaccessible for English speaking audience members.
The Indian audience, however, were thoroughly entertained, and constantly in ruptures of laughter. There were jokes that revolved around various topics that Indians residing abroad could all relate to – driving abilities of Indians, India’s current Prime Minister, HR departments in corporate businesses and the idiosyncrasies of Bollywood movies.
Subramanian’s approach is subtle and understated. He goes about his jokes in an aloof manner, so the audience is almost unsure where they are being taken. This is a completely different style to other Indian comedians like Russell Peters, who thrive on making blatant jokes where the punchline is the highlight. In Subramanian’s case, the punchline is obviously important, but equally important is the delivery, which means the audience is continuously laughing. As he prefaces his show by stating that he is not planning to make any sense, the humour in the show is often in its absurdity.
Subramanian has firmly cemented his place as one of Indian’s top stand up comics, a breed that is slowly growing and being more appreciated in his home country, and now abroad.
– Moni
Moni is of Indian heritage, was born in England and has grown up in Australia. As a result, she appreciates all things fusion.
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Read our guide to the top shows, and all of our 2018 MICF coverage.
