I’m not a comedian: Manish Paul

Mumbai: Think Manish Paul and “funnyman” is in all probability the first word that comes to mind. Take a minute to think and look over the work he has done so far, however, and you will realise that the word cannot quite sum him up. Host, VJ, RJ, television actor and now one film old in Bollywood, Manish shares with us the journey that took him from fantasising in Delhi to being thoroughly disillusioned in Mumbai, and shows us that he has much more to offer than just the proverbial funny bone.

“I call it destiny. I was very clear from day one that I wanted to be an actor, but when I came to Mumbai I knew immediately that I wasn’t ready for it. I’ve always been very honest with myself, and at that time when I used to look in the mirror I would know that even I wouldn’t pay to see me on the celluloid. I felt that there were too many things that I needed to learn first. Purely at the level of appearance, I needed a lot of grooming. It was after I came to Mumbai, for example, that I understood the importance of something as simple as a good haircut!” he shares as he recounts his days of struggle back in 2005. “I started looking for work and did some television which didn’t work out that well, but hosting kept coming back to me on its own, and here I am today because of it,” he says.

As a host, Manish has been appreciated the most for his impeccable comic timing. Ask him if he thinks that has had something to contribute to the lingering impression of him as a variety of stand-up comedian and he responds, “You know I honestly don’t understand why people cannot differentiate between variety entertainment, comedy and stand-up comedy. They are three very different things. And I am not a stand-up comedian. Frankly, mere bas ki nahin hai,” he says and adds, “My whole funda is that anyone who watches a show I host should be thoroughly entertained in every way possible. Laughter is a part of that, but it certainly doesn’t encompass all of what I do. There is this enduring and sadly limited notion a lot of us carry, that anyone who makes us laugh is a comedian. I don’t believe in that at all. I’m an actor and I’m a host, I’m not a comedian. I remember at one point of time when I was doing Comedy Circus I had begun to get calls to do comedy acts only. I took a decision at that time to make it very clear that I will not be typecast. I have my own distinct zone and I’m very happy in it. God has been kind and what I have tried to do has worked, which is why I’m doing the work I’m doing today,” he asserts.

The actor will be seen in his second outing on the silver screen in Tere Bin Laden 2. “I play a character called Sharma in the movie, who is the mastermind behind everything that goes wrong. The hilarious narrative follows him through situations where he ends up becoming the mastermind who solves everything too. It is an out and out laugh riot that everyone will be thoroughly entertained by,” he says.

Did he ever have any apprehensions about entering a franchise in its second installment without having been a part of its critically acclaimed original? “I didn’t realise that could happen until after I had signed the film. I took it up because I was thrilled that a good banner making a good film as part of a good franchise wanted me to work with them. It was only when people began asking me if I was feeling pressured to live up to the precedent that I began to think that I need to be feeling pressured,” he laughs. “But then I told myself that this isn’t how I want to do this film, I want to enjoy it and that’s what I did. I’m not doing anything in it that has already been done in the previous one. My character is completely different and so is the story woven around it. So there isn’t actually any space for comparisons to be drawn, and therefore no pressure,” he points out. “Abhishek Sharma is a fantastic director and the experience of shooting the film has been brilliant,” he concludes.