Delhi is gearing up to tickle your funny bones soon with a two-day comedy festival at the end of this month. Organised by 20 Onwards Media, the festival aims to promote everything that is comic.
Hence, there’s a line-up of events like comedy film screenings that includes Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and Andaz Apna Apna, staging of a funny play Ghalib in Delhi, a hasya kavi sammelan featuring Surendra Sharma, a stand-up comedy night with Papa CJ and Sanjay Rajoura among many other features.
The event would finally culminate with the Golden Kela Awards.
Jatin Varma, the organiser of the event, says that having organised the Golden Kela Awards for the last three years, he wanted to expand the event to something bigger. “When I was in school, my teachers kept telling me ‘no funny business’. I think at a subconscious level it stuck with me and hence I decided to get into the funny business,” he quips.
However, on a serious note, he wants to promote comedy. “We wanted to cover all aspects of Indian comedy as we have so much talent all around. And thus, the concept of a comedy festival came up. Here, we would have something for everybody. Besides film screenings, plays and stand-up comedy night, we would even have contests that would give a chance to emerging talents,” says Jatin, who thinks that we need to promote comedy, especially at a time when people are so frustrated with their lives.
Surendra Sharma, who is participating in the festival, seconds, “Almost every person you meet is cribbing about life. Someone else’s happiness bothers a person more than his own sorrow. So it’s necessary to eliminate this frustration from one’s life. Comedy festivals like this would help one do that,” says Sharma. “When you laugh at yourself, it really helps get rid of the negativity surrounding you,” he concludes.