A new comedy club in Andheri that opens today will showcase gags by 14 comics as part of a three-day inaugural celebration
Ruhi Sachdeva and Bilal Khan. Pics/Shadab Khan
If laughter is the best medicine, we have just the treatment for you. Andheri’s newest comedy club, Flat Feet Studio, will open its doors today to evenings filled with heavy doses of jokes. Side effects, co-founders Ruhi Sachdeva and Bilal Khan share, include uncontrollable guffaws, cheers, hoots and possible momentary forgetfulness of unpleasant memories. Step in at your own peril.
Jokes aside, Sachdeva has a vision in mind for the studio. “Everyone has a personal reason and an ulterior motive as they set out on a venture. My personal reason stems from my love for comedy. It gives me peace and makes me happy. The goal going forward, however, is for the studio to serve as a haven that tends to mental health,” shares the producer and director, who strongly believes that mental health illnesses are what will take humanity down 10 to 15 years down the line. “I was introduced to the concept of mental health nearly eight years ago. I would have done a lot of things differently had I known of it earlier,” she tells us.
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(Top and above) The comedy club boasts of a 60-seater intimate set-up
Sachdeva previously used the studio space to shoot her non-fictional content with celebrities, finance shows and ad films. “This work will continue in the mornings but the nights will be reserved for comedy, and a few open mics for poetry and other spoken art forms,” she adds. With a few modifications aimed at enhancing the audience experience, the duo had the studio ready almost as soon as it was ideated.
“The comedy club is my brainchild. Bilal helped me sort the logistics and other technical aspects like acoustics, seating arrangements and lighting,” shares the producer. The inaugural show at the club will host 14 performers along with some surprise performances over three days.
But how advantageous is running a comedy business, especially in an age when entertainment is at one’s fingertips? Comedian Sorabh Pant offers insight, “The number of comedians in Mumbai and Delhi are in the thousands — almost as many as the number of people wanting to watch stand-up. So, it’s a good synergy at the moment. In Mumbai, shows are sold out even on week days. Plus, these venues are great for recording minute-long reels for Instagram, which has become almost as important to some of us as workshopping our proper long-form standup sets.” While Pant’s name does not reflect in the final line-up list, he reveals that he has plans for a surprise spot on one of the three days. “I may joke about mosquitoes, travel, or even work-shopping old bits that you’re trying to get ready for corporate shows,” he teases.
Sachdeva believes that despite it being such a digitally-invested generation, people crave experiences, “One can easily order the same food from the restaurants they decide to visit on weekends. But they choose to step out. Such is the case with standup-comedy as well. Only, this one is an experience that will offer a new menu every week, and new chefs every six months or so.”
Shridhar Venkataramana, who will be performing on the second day, shares that his set will be on start-up business in the country, “With all the turbulence in the start-up scene, it’s an exciting topic to explore humorous perspectives. Lot of the jokes in this set will be fresh.” The line-up includes names like Jeeya Sethi, Supriya Joshi, Abinash Mohapatra and Aditya Gundet, among others.
Jeeya Sethi and Sorabh Pant. Pics courtesy/Youtube
“Comedy is a noble and an underrated profession. It is proven to help the listeners find solutions, reduce stress and anxiety, and keep mental health in check,” Sachdeva shares. “The number of comics being added to the community each day is unbelievable. The advantage of the digital era is that there is nothing like a fresher in the industry. If you want to be a comic, you’re already one through your social media channels. All that remains is a platform like ours where people drop by to experience your show in person,” she signs off.
On: March 5 to 7 (inauguration celebration); 7.30 pm onwards
At: Flat Feet Studio,515, Morya Landmark-1, Andheri West.
Log on to: insider.in; in.bookmyshow.com (for passes); @flatfeetstudio (for complete line-up)
Cost: Rs 299 onwards
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