His brand of humor has enthralled Nepalis all over and they obviously can't get enough of his stand up comedy. Despite the already hectic schedule, he is also eagerly working on a new act for the highly aniticipated Gai Jatra festival. He insists he doesn't want to give away too much but in true Gajurel fashion, he will be tackling politics and taking on the role of, not one or two, but several world leaders all at once. Some might be hitting breaking point by now but Gajurel seems to revel in it (though he confesses regular meditation helps too). Priyanka Gurung sat down with him to get more such insight into the mind of one of the most brilliant artists in the country's comedy scene right now.
When was the last time you laughed at somebody's joke?
Actually, just yesterday. My son requested if he could have some extra pocket money since he was going to hang out with some of his friends. I said I hope they are good company and not troublemakers. He quickly gave me a list of names. The names were all his regular guy friends. However, as he made his way down the stairs, after getting the required cash, I heard him wistfully singing a romantic Nepali song – something along the lines of 'My wish of wanting to take you out on a date is now finally going to come true.' I thought that was hilarious.
Churning out witty, funny lines on a daily basis can't be easy. Do you write your own script or are there collaborations as well?
Oh no, I come up with all the materials myself. My intention has always been to come up with what I like to call 'organic jokes' – ones built upon the essence of Nepali nature and based on subject matters that make Nepali minds laugh.
Though, of course, standup comedy isn't all about scripts. 40% to 60% of the jokes are improvised according to the event I'm performing at. I take into consideration where I am, the kind of people in the audience, things the previous speakers have said, as well as the raging issues of the moment. I have always enjoyed playing around with these factors. My job is to find humor in the moment. If you can't come up with 'organic jokes', in this age of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, a comedian's days are bound to be numbered.
You particularly seem to enjoy carrying out acts on politics, why is that?
As long as I can remember, starting from my student days, I have been politically inclined. This is a subject that I'm genuinely interested in. Further, I also studied journalism in college and that made me realize about our social responsibility. Thus, I don't just want to make people laugh, I want to contribute something through my sense of humor as well. If you think about it there is a similarity between being a journalist and a comedian, you can use both avenues to stir things up and create awareness.
I'm very conscious about not making wholesale jokes. Even though it would be easy to complain about politics and cuss the leaders to make people laugh, that is not my style. I prefer focusing on the many layers of the political game and laying it bare for the audience. I have a feeling that's why the public has embraced my acts.
So what's your process? How do you prepare for your shows?
I select the issues first and stick to the most happening talk of the town at that moment. Then I consider the characters associated with the issue and create the act around them. Imitating the personalities requires me to study their body language as well as their speech. So, I YouTube interviews and other such videos. Then begin the rehearsals. For me, that's pretty much 24/7. I use the mirror to mimic the small nuances of various personalities. When I feel like I have nailed it, I perform for a few of my friends. I'm also constantly thinking about ways to tweak the script and make it better. I also talk to myself a lot while carrying out my daily chores or driving. I'm sure there have been instances when people around me thought I was losing my mind.
Why have you chosen to be a solo act?
Initially, when I was just beginning I did work with a group of friends who were interested in comedy as well. However, slowly they picked different paths in their career. Around that time, I realized that there was a bit of a void in Nepal's standup comedy sector. There weren't many people attempting to do it so I thought of giving it a shot. So far, it's working out for me. If you chose to work with a team, you all need to be on the same level and that's tricky to achieve. I have found that it's easier to put across your ideas and concepts for the show as a solo act. Being a one man show also makes it convenient to travel and book shows.
You are on a career high at the moment but there must have been some low points too?
It had to be after my graduation. As I mentioned before, I was always interested in politics, especially during my college days. However, after graduating I decided to completely leave all of that behind and start my career in performance art. But at the time, being a comedian meant being a joker, saying silly lines and pulling funny faces. That was not what I was about. Standup comedy had not quite picked up its pace either. I was not getting any chance to perform. The ones who hired me would often be charity organizers and you were expected to do it for free. Around that time, I began panicking. I thought I was going to die, starved and penniless. But thankfully, my brother and some of my friends were there for me. They told me that it was important to stick to my principles and not compromise on the sort of socially responsible artist that I wanted to be. Their kind words helped me stick around for a little longer and eventually, I got a break at Radio Nepal. But yes, that had to be the lowest point in my career.
It's believed that even though comedians are funny on stage, they are very serious personalities off stage. Do you agree with that statement?
Well, that's not always the case. Even though we are not only about the laughs, seeing us on stage might give the impression that we are jolly all the time but we have a serious side as well. There are days we just want to be quiet. There are days when we get upset or angry. It's about picking the right moments. It is only natural that there is more to our personality than just the jokes.
What do you think Nepal's comedy scene needs next?
I believe there is a big market for comedians in our country. The condition being, you bring something new to the plate. You can be inspired by the present bunch of comedians but there is no point in copying them. I think there are already too many out there who sing parodies or do caricatures. What Nepal's comedy scene needs next is something different and creative. For example, nobody is performing puppet plays or pursuing dancing comedy like they do in China and Korea. Similarly, my audience is largely made up of people of my generation. I believe we could use somebody who can carter to the +2 generation as well – the city dwellers with their English, style and slangs. It would be nice to see a comedian cover that demographic as well.
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