23 September,2026 01:05 PM IST | Mumbai | Devashish Kamble
Sapan Verma’s new comedy special takes the audience through a rollercoaster of life lessons. PICS COURTESY/SAPAN VERMA ON YOUTUBE
The class is in session and Professor Sapan Verma has a few lessons to teach. We're not joking; we'll leave that to the comedian. Not too long ago, Verma had a short stint with Jai Hind College in Churchgate, where he taught a Bachelor of Mass Media batch. In 2026, Verma is neither a bachelor, nor a fan of where the country's mass media is headed.
Out of Syllabus, a full-circle moment he admits, is the 37-year-old's new comedy special that "plays out like a curriculum where I teach the audience everything they wanted to know, but school never taught them." Subjects include raising a child, the rising AQI levels, navigating construction woes in the city, and dealing with sleep deprivation. Ironic, we say; we caught up on most of our sleep inside classrooms.
One of the more contemporary debates the comedian will shine a light on is the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in art. "We all gave it a spin when it came out. But as a comic, I realised that there's nothing of value AI can add to my writing. You can't teach AI how to be funny," he chuckles.
While Verma is all for a good laugh, the immediate threat of AI is not lost on him. "Can you believe that we're building massive data centres for a technology that most Indians are using to make cats and fruits talk in short videos? It's ridiculous. We don't talk about it enough," he rues.
The new show comes on the back of Verma's 2025 special Lower Back Pain, which premiered on YouTube last month after extensive touring. It points to a larger trend of comedians returning to free video-sharing platforms after tasting OTT fame, he shares.
"There was a time when you could count open mics in Mumbai on your fingers. The YouTube boom ushered in a new era. We formed collectives [East India Comedy], and enjoyed collaborating. When the OTT boom followed, many of us rode that wave and released our stand-up specials on OTT platforms. But with time, the growing censorship wore us down. A comedian can't lose control over what he has to say," he reveals.
Slated for an India tour starting this month, the comedy special will aim to premiere at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year, Verma reveals. "I was at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, and I realised that you can't take just any show to the stage. The story needs to have a story arc that keeps the audience hooked. Out of Syllabus might just be that show," he signs off.
ON September 26; 5.30 pm and 8 pm
AT Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
LOG ON TO in.bookmyshow.com
ENTRY Rs 943 onwards
