Actor and comedian Nitesh Shetty is not new at making us giggle. But in the last six months his Instagram character of a man in the know of everything Bambaiyya has made him a household name
Nitesh Shetty doing one of his more viral reels
Nitesh Shetty, who grew up in the quiet suburb of Chembur, has found a new audience at the age of 34. Why? Because he makes content every true-blue Mumbaikar can relate to.
“Until 2024, I’d acted in two television shows and was doing corporate stand up gigs. When I began to make reels last year, I got a good response so I kept at it,” he says. His handle, @nitesh_shetty99, is the epitome of good old, clean comedy. “I wanted to keep it reel simple, nothing too fancy — just everyday things that we see growing up in this country,” he adds.
Shetty grew up in the city and says that it has inspired him to add to his routines. “Growing up in Mumbai is a unique experience and there is no lack of inspiration,” he says. “Which why from the get-go I had decided that there will be no over-the-top production for the reels — just Mumbai in its full glory,” he adds.
One of his character is a “knowledgeable person of railways”, who knows everything about long-distance trains. In one, he is seen telling his fellow passengers to not rush to get into the train, since the train is refilling the drinking water supply. “Don’t rush, the train will be here for 20 minutes, all trains on this route fill up on water here”. There is another where he tells his co-passenger “You get better wada at Chiplun station”. When we ask Shetty about his love for the railways, he laughs. “I get a lot of people DMing me and asking me if their tickets will get confirmed and that their waitlist number is this or that. Often, I don’t know what to say to them but I love that Indians still have a little bit of innocence in them. I can’t help them but I don’t mind really,” he laughs.
Another favourite character Shetty plays is the Modern Day Parent — here he plays a helicopter parent between doing something with his son Jian, he tells his friend Kamlakar how unique his child is. In one such hilarious skit he is explaining to Jian that there “Yes Jian, madhya [centra] rail and pashchim [western] rail meet at Dadar station,” then he turns to his friend Kamlakar (who is never on camera) and says “You know Kamlakar, Jian is so excited for his local train journey”.
The background that Shetty utilises reminds us of a typical middle-class housing society. “My childhood friend, Pushkar Hebli, and I record these skits in his housing society in Dombivli which makes it more relatable,” he says. From that aesthetic, he derives content such as ‘New family in society’, ‘Humble businessman in society’, or ‘Free uncle in society’. The comments range from “Society jaam famous zhaali ahe’ (this society is getting famous)” to ‘Aise hi videos bhejte hai uncle log jiske paas duniya bhar ka free time hai’ (These are actually the type of videos that a lot of free uncles in society often send)”.
But one of the skits that is closest to his heart is that of the jobless Mumbaikar, aka the “Berozgar in Mumbai”. The one we liked was when a jobless man goes to the Taj Mahal Hotel to use the facilities. Or the one where he pockets R20 that he was given to buy grains to feed pigeons — this was at the height of the feeding ban by BMC, and a clever way to say something without commenting about the issue. “I didn’t want to make fun of those who were berozgar. In the end, he goes to Amitabh Bachchan’s house on a Sunday; Bachchan comes there and he reacts,” he says.
A believer in not punching down in his comedy, he adds, “When you crack a joke it should be one where no one feels bad. There should be a balance between being funny and self-reflective,” he adds. He was also sure he wanted to make family-friendly content. “I want to make reels that people can watch with family at their side. It can give them something to laugh about, together,” he says. Shetty, who usually uploads reels by 9.30 am, often gets messages asking if everything is all right when he is late in uploading. “It’s almost like a friend is waiting for you,” he chuckles.
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