DemoCRAZY witticisms

Speaking about how music and comedy seems to go hand in hand Varun Grover says that this is a trend not just in the country, but overseas too. “They both go very well together and as genres share a structural similarity – a stage, a mic and a performer is all that it needs,” says the lyricist and writer of Gangs of Wasseypur, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Masaan fame. “I think the first subject we tackled last year was the re-writing of history that all successive regimes do in India and elsewhere. We created a song, Hum History se Khelenge, and wrote comedy material around that theme,” says Varun. Since then, the trio have gone on to create songs and literally “stand up” to talk about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Indo-Pak rivalry, a song on pseudo-intellectuals called Babri Doll, Yeh desh hai teer kamanon ka about religious violence and the current state of the nation in general. “We also want to keep adding new lyrics to songs as we sing about different things in a time-honoured Indian folk tradition,” adds Indian Ocean’s bassist and vocalist Rahul Ram. Seeing that he has sung protest music, he decided to let his music join the party that stand up comics Sanjay and Varun were already a part of.

From the Hindi kavi sammelans in the 90s to more urbane setups today, political satire isn’t new to India. But what makes this outfit stand out is how they make their humour available to everyone (even those who don’t understand English or pop culture references) by making a lot of references to their own experiences. “They are all unique to India, told in our own idiom and with the impromptu banter of the trio,” says Varun, adding that their improv on stage is preceded by jam sessions over Skype, WhatsApp, endless emails and bonding over desi ghee, milk-based sweets. So is there a certain change that they are looking to bring about through their performances? “We want to encourage a willingness to laugh at ourselves as a nation and to not take our views too seriously. Once you laugh at something and with somebody, the probability of violence decreases, as do levels of intolerance,” says Rahul who when is not all about music wastes inordinate amounts of time playing Sudoku and Solitaire, reading thrillers or being a severe party animal.

As they prep to release an album of original satirical composition, they are looking forward to more shows after their four-city tour this month. “We will be adding some local flavour to the Bengaluru show as Rahul Ram is half-Kannadiga,” reveals Varun, as Rahul adds, “Possibly some stuff about the Mangaluru attacks on people of different religions not allowed to be friends, and probably some digs at IT-type professionals.”