Director's Cut: Akarsh Khurana spills the beans on what inspired him to create his teleplay Stand Up

Stand Up will be screened on Tata Play throughout this month. It revolves around five budding comics who meet their mentor to prepare for an open-mic event. This opportunity could get them a real gig and change their lives. All they have to do is be at their funniest. But humour is a deadly serious business. And quite often, the joke’s on you.

Well-known director, writer, and actor Akarsh Khurana talks about how he came up with the idea of the teleplay. “We used to perform plays at The Comedy Store (now Canvas Laugh Club), and these would be followed by stand-up events. On many occasions, we shared the backstage area with some comics, and I got to know a few of them. I began to realise that their lives offstage were truly fascinating. They constantly needed to come up with new material, and everyone had a unique creative process. What’s more, they had no choice but to be funny in the public eye despite their insecurities and struggles. From this seed of thought, I developed a play about the behind-the-scenes life of a bunch of comics,” he shares.

Directing the play was fun, and he had a great time with the cast. “As a director, I give the actors a lot of freedom to approach the role in the way they are most comfortable with. The cast knew the material very well, and we worked in a very collaborative, stress-free environment, ate good food, and brainstormed. The shoot was very enjoyable,” he says.

Post Covid-19, and especially during the lockdown, the viewership for digitised teleplays has improved, but the process of the shooting remains challenging. “Post the pandemic especially, creating a comfortable atmosphere on the set is critical. As a director, I feel it is necessary to put everyone at ease and have good people management skills. When people find a certain comfort level in working together, then half your job is done,” he signs off.

Stand Up stars Abir Abrar, Adhaar Khurana, Omkar Kulkarni, Sarang Sathaye, Chaitnya Sharma, Kashin Shetty, Nipun Dharmadhikari and Zayn Khan.