A Confident Pratyush Chaubey Shines In ‘Utna Confidence Nahi Hai’

A Confident Pratyush Chaubey Shines In ‘Utna Confidence Nahi Hai’

It was his second time in Bhubaneswar and the laughter riot he created the moment he made an entry after three opening acts by Satya, Jyoti and Alokesh, made him say – ‘Yahan ki audience badi zabardast hai!’ even when he was doubtful about the turnout post Cyclone Fani. Comedian Pratyush Chaubey made his life stories the butt of all jokes as the audience began relating to him, his North-Indian jibes, his inferiority complex, inter-caste marriage and life with his other three brothers. Aptly titled ‘Utna Confidence Nahi Hai’, presented by Comedy Highway in association with My City Links and Prelude, the evening at Bocca Cafe was an ode to all who struggle with their personal weaknesses and inferiority complex.

Born and brought up in a small town of Uttar Pradesh, Pratyush Chaubey is the youngest out of four brothers. Foraying into the world of stand-up comedy full time just two years ago, Chaubey has an image of relatively ‘clean comedy’. He says bad words do not come to him as easily even when he comes from a place where such words are common language. “Comedy involves a lot of travel,” he says, further adding “if people invite you, that is.” The audience bursts into laughter when he uses the same line in the show as well.

It was the comic ‘keeda’ in him which led him to the stage when he was in school. He began hosting events in college where he would change the usual format of a boy and a girl coming on stage and talking. Instead, he would present a few jokes and interact with the audience through sarcasm. “Being on stage would give me a high. But I did not like the stand-up comedy scene which prevailed then. I worked as a Java Developer and when I decided to give it a try, I did not tell them. In fact, they had no idea I had quit my job. It was when the relatives found out and told them about my key reason to go to cafes that they got to know. My mother then said – Leave your job!”

The man has no qualms about the supposed insecurity the role of a stand-up comic offers. “You know, things fall into place. It’s all about the direction in which your talent goes. There is so much to fear in everything. You might die anytime anywhere anyway!,” he quips. Plus, there is so much work in showbiz for creative people. “I began in 2014 and I know people who are not proper stand-up comics yet have a scope to earn because there is so much work in TV, films, etc in terms of good content. There is a dearth of people. On the other hand, my day job in the IT sector was far more scary because it was so recession-prone! YouTube pays really well too,” he says.

Many might argue that the world of stand-up comedy is an arena for the young. For Chaubey, that comfort in his own self and age as well as his admittance that he indeed is a married man in his 30s who worked full time as a java developer for six years, helped him the most. When he first landed in Bhubaneswar two years ago, his audience were students. “My material was normal but I had to break my uncle-type vibe. Once that happened, it was all a blast with the students!”

But Chaubey does not believe stand-up comedy is for lads in their 20s. “The thing is most of our videos online are seen by the young. My audience comprise people in their middle age too. It all depends which age group you are catering to. If its the young, you can hook them up via social media about your shows. For the middle age ones, you will have to spend more time in offline marketing since they are not as active online as the young. Then again, they are the ones who can afford even high-priced tickets to shows because they have that kind of money which the student community, for example, does not,” he says.

Another stereotype he doesn’t adhere to is the use of vulgar language in his jokes. “Since I was the youngest in the family, I did not use much bad words. There is just something uncomfortable when I say such words. You will find such words in my videos though. Also, in eastern UP, people use a lot of such words. Overtime, one gets used to it. To me though, it is still quite an uncomfortable thing to do,” he says. Thankfully, there has been no pressure on him to use such words too. “People use those words for exploration, I feel. I might not be a fan of vulgar words, but the content is definitely adult. That is why, I feel uncomfortable in the presence of kids in my shows,” he says even as the organisers come and inform him that the one kid who was present has been coaxed to leave.

Well, the audience present did not feel any ‘uncle-type’ vibe and Chaubey ensured he made the audience realise how enthusiastic it is to have women amidst them. “They clap real well. While the men usually keep their poker faces intact waiting for you to insult someone,” he quips while the room reverberates with the sound of laughter.

PICTURE COURTESY: KODACHROME