A stand-up comedy quartet mine their lives in the suburban neighbourhood to infuse a new flavour into Mumbai’s comedy circuit
(Left to right) Sagar Mavani, Uddhav Parab, Anand Subramanian and Dhaval Datar on a local train
As one of the lakhs of people who travel into the city from its extended suburbs, this writer often feels like an outsider. And so, it was easy to relate with the experiences of Anand Subramanian’s journey into comedy.
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Subramanian and his trio of friends — Sagar Mavani, Dhaval Datar and Uddhav Parab — hail from the working class suburb of Dombivli. Their group, and performance, is understandably called Dudes of Dombivli. “We wanted to plant a flag in the comedy circuit for those from the outer suburbs, to let everyone know that comedy exists beyond Thane as well,” Subramanian jokes.
The 42-year-old is a full-time teacher taking on mathematics, economics and book-keeping for commerce students. His humorous lectures led to students suggesting a career in stand-up. Since 2016, Subramanian has been moonlighting with the group and producing comedy in the neighbourhood. The journey is similar for the others as well. Mavani is a copywriter, while Parab worked in the corporate sector before the comedy bug bit him. Of these, only Datar was a full-time comic.
Uddhav Parab at a performance
The quartet’s material is built around this very identity. Subramanian shares, “The suburb is not exactly well-known. I have met people from South Mumbai and Bandra who don’t know their way beyond Thane. That is the maximum range of their geographical movement,” he quips. This sense of being the outsider enabled them to share experiences that are both unique and funny, he says.
They staged their first gig just before the pandemic in 2019, but were forced to move online with the lockdown. “It gave us time to introspect and write more material,” he shares, adding that the pandemic also opened their eyes to the different ways in which the city and suburbs went through the lockdown.
Subramanian during a show
“People in the city do not really understand scarcity. A half-day power cut in Thane would be news. For us, it is commonplace,” he explains. Complaints about travel are also part of the fun. “I remember my first gig at Palladium in Lower Parel a couple of years ago. I missed my last train back home, and had to take a cab. It cost me Rs 3,000, which was more than what the gig paid,” he reveals.
The more personal it is, the more universal it becomes, they say. Subramanian agrees. With more gigs following up their stint at Chembur, the quartet from Dombivli hopes to share more of their neighbourhood stories with the rest of the city.
On: March 11; 7 pm
At: The Huddle, Stellar Towers, Diamond Garden, opposite K-Star Mall, Chembur.
Log on to: in.bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 149
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