From Karan Johar to Sunny Leone, the new season of Amazon Prime Video’s ‘One Mic Stand’ gets mentors and hosts talking
In her first set as a stand-up comic, actor Sunny Leone does not use words. “You all know me for something I’ve done in the past, for which you all judged me, and for which I might be ashamed,” she said with a shrug, before delivering like a punchline or punch-word. And says with a smile – ‘Mastizaade’ (Fun seekers). And, the audience breaks down. According to comedian Neeti Palata, this is a great strategy to win over the crowd. “Comics will tell you that if you find an audience with a joke first, they are with you. And, when you start by addressing what the audience is already thinking of you, you have them.
for season two of amazon prime a mic stand, a reality show (hosted by Sapan Varma) in which celebrities attempt stand-up comedy after being coached by professionals, guides Palata Leone. We love the likes of Karan Johar, Faye D’Souza, Raftaar and Chetan Bhagat who have been mentored by Sumukhi Suresh, Atul Khatri, Samay Raina, Abish Mathew.
Read also | Get ‘First Day First Show’ our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema delivered to your inbox. You can subscribe for free here
less chat, more comedy
The first step after everyone is onboard is what Varma, who is also the showrunner, calls a “long therapy session” where celebrities meet their comedy mentors and the show’s writers – Dhruv Deshpande, Siddharth Dudeja, Aishwarya Mohanraj. , Pavitra Shetty and Urjita Vani. “They talk about their lives and then writers write jokes for them,” he adds. At the end of season one, Verma and the team knew they had ‘cracked the format’, but there was always room for improvement; One of which was to keep each celebrity set crisp and full of jokes. “In the first season, we often used to write long scripts but this time we ruthlessly cut them down to five pages. We have a great writers’ room and they understood that it was to make the show better.”
Like many celebrities trying out stand-up for the first time, it’s a new experience for comics. And, teaching a novice to laugh at a room full of strangers is not easy. “You can be funny among your group of friends but that doesn’t always translate on stage. The stories you tell them are based on the people and backgrounds they know,” says Palta. are, ‘It’s a catch-22 situation. Going into open-mix over and over again makes comics better. Only when you fail, do you build the confidence that will help you manage a room next time? does.”
bracing imperfection
format of a mic stand However, it is such that a celebrity has only one chance on a certain night to establish his or her comedy credentials. “It is a live show, with a live audience. There is no cheating,” says Palta. According to Verma, honesty is a great way to win over the audience. “I have told celebs that if someone cracks a joke, So they can just say ‘It’s not my fault. Sapan told me it was funny'”.
Varma understands that the USP of the show is the vulnerability and imperfection that comes with seeing well-known faces trying something new in front of the camera. “You know they’re not going to be perfect and it’s also unreasonable to expect it. That’s why we keep those moments when they look at their cheat sheets or grumble. Last season, someone did Made a mess and our editor cut it but I asked him to add it back because that’s the highlight of the show.
It has been a tough year for all. For actors like Varma, Palta and Mathew, the pandemic took away one of the most important things in their lives – a vibrant audience. “As a comedian, nothing can imitate a live audience. You can do a Zoom show for 500 people, but I would prefer 50 people who are physically in the same place where I am,” says Verma. Mathew agrees – “Internet makes us feel validated but a live platform makes us feel visible.”
a mic stand Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video
.