Biswa Kalyan Rath and Anuvab Pal meet over coastal fare to discuss going digital

Sir try this Its superb Biswa Kalyan Rath tells Anuvab Pal pointing at the piping hot Tomato Rasam at Curry Tales in Khar West While the rasam gets his stamp of approval Biswas calm demeanour a day before the premiere of his web series Laakhon Mein Ek released last week on Amazon Prime baffles Anuvab I couldnt sleep the night before my web series Going Viral released The 27yearold laughs Im so stressed Ill sleep wellStandup comics Biswa Kalyan Rath and Anuvab Pal at Curry Tales Khar West PicsShadab KhanOver the next hour the duo who share warm camaraderie and mutual respect bond over delicious fare from Indias west coast curated by chef Sandeep SreedharanKrutika So how was the shift from live standup comedy to creating a web seriesAnuvab Going Viral was born as a way to wrap my head around the world of social media which is alien to meBiswa My show set in an IIT coaching centre is also a personal exploration though not an autobiography as an IITKharagpur alumnus But I realised filmmaking is tough involving a lot of people and dedicationAnuvab But you did standup shows during that time rightBiswa Yes Wed shoot in the daytime and Id do standup at night What else is there to doAnuvab I love your words of wisdom I remember complaining to you about our hard lives and you said Its a simple life where you work only in the evenings Some people have to do an actual job When I started out I would repeat my material a lot This generation of comedians is definitely better they constantly evolve their material I cant compete with them Thats why I am doing shows outside the country where everyone from around the world performsBiswa Standup comedy is getting competitive Its not restricted to the metros any more With access to the Internet the audience watches topquality stuff The younger comics are also great So we have to work hardAnuvab Standup comedy has also become a great leveller If the audience stops watching you its not because of other comedians but because your material isnt good But yes such crazy fandom didnt exist earlierBiswa Id say it did but not for English comedians Johnny Lever and Raju Srivastav did enjoy it I was a fan of the first season of The Great Indian Laughter ChallengePrawn Dry Fry Malabar Fish CurryAppam and two Chicken Thalis including Chicken Sukha Crispy Bhindi Pachadi and Paalpayasam arriveAnuvab trying Malabar Fish Curry with Appam The curry is outstanding I love Keralas coastal stretch for its food In Alleppey I visited an eatery with only two items on the menu mdash whisky and calamari I may also be the only Bong who likes fish thats cooked in a nonBong wayBiswa Oh I have a psychotic hatred for fish My mother loves it Shed make it every day Bachpan mein bahot kaata atka hai gale mein Opts for Prawn Dry Fry Its excellent Coastal food has higher spice levels Oriya food isnt this spicy its more carbs mdash rice and potatoes People also confuse Oriya food with Andhra and Bengali fareAnuvab Our country has superb food Ive tried some amazing nonvegetarian kebabs in the UP belt I am obsessed with food and storytelling For instance a biryani story Ive heard is that when Wajid Ali Shah was exiled he was given two options either take the family or the biryani cook He chose the cook Everyone in this country is very religious about biryani Id love to do a show on food nextBiswa Have you read The Story Of Our Food It says onion and garlic were never part of Indian foodKrutika Is food used enough as material for gagsAnuvab I use it in my sets but I cant think of any work of fiction except maybe Cheeni Kum and Chef which does justice to how integral food is to our lives Biswa Its hard to write about food because its a different sensory experience Its easier to talk about sounds and sights instead of taste For instance you cant read a review on a website and decide that its good or badAnuvab Now reactions about restaurants are also visceral mdash they either say its the best restaurant Ive eaten at or its the worst service everBiswa People vent online only when they have an overwhelming experience Its the same with comedy reviews The first reaction to my trailer was a yawn Having said that the Internet is powerful and sharing on social media is becoming the next wordofmouthTucking into the thali Everything is excellent The best part of this thali is its making me hungrier Nothing puts me off as much as bad food I dont feel like working my system feels down Its like average comedy You laugh and then wonder why youre laughing