Papa CJ lived in Kolkata for 19 years. The city known for its colonial architecture is the place that tickled his funny bone as well.
"When you grow up in a city where you get power outages for 15 hours a day, and during the only four hours when your inverter works, you can either use one fan and two lights or one light and two fans, then you need to develop a sense of humour to deal with what life and the city are throwing your way," says the comedian who completes two decades in global stand-up comedy.
"20 years into stand-up I certainly hope my family thinks I’m funny!" he jokes. "My mother is the comedian in the family; my dad is the storyteller. My mom is the performer who projects outward. My dad is the person who people lean in for. I would like to think I have picked up some skills from both of them."
A trip down memory lane
Back in 2004, Papa CJ was the only comic to represent India in the UK.
"When I left the room, the audience may not have remembered my name but they would always remember 'that Indian comedian'.
"I always tried to represent India in a positive light. Which is why the first line I wrote was, "Don't mess with us Indians. We come from the land of the Kama Sutra, we can f*** you in more ways than you can count!"
Papa CJ's joke on coming from the land of Kama Sutra generated big laughs and praise. People on the streets in foreign countries would walk up to him and want Papa CJ to recite that line for them.
"I think it resonated with Indians living abroad in particular because it gave them something they could use when they felt picked on, ridiculed or attacked in their own environments."
But did he ever get into trouble for the funny stuff he doled out on stage?
"Once I did a gig in Leicester, where the organiser had given me permission to do very naughty material. However in spite of that, an audience member complained to the police about my performance."
The following week Papa CJ got a call from Leicestershire Police, who after confirming he had done that material, invited him to perform at the Christmas party for 300 of their officers!
Every funny man has a comic inspiration
For Papa CJ, the people who inspire him are "Chris Rock, George Carlin and more importantly many of the 2000 odd comedians" he had performed with live in the UK. "Each of whom had some quality I admired, and whom I had seen work a room very well."
However, the initial push into stand up comedy for Papa CJ came from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2004. "I saw somebody doing it there and thought it would be a fun thing to do. Three months later, I was on stage and did 700 shows in the UK over the next three years, taking on jobs on the side to support my lack of income from comedy."
One of those jobs was that of a Leadership Coach and he got to work with over 50 companies all over the globe at that point, including Google, Nike, Accenture, EY, Universal Music, UBS and many more.
"That foundation also informs a lot of the coaching work I do now that brings together my experiences from both comedy and leadership. A prime example is my signature session ‘A Comedian’s Guide to Communication and Storytelling Strategy’. My parents are pleased I'm finally putting that hard-earned Oxford MBA degree to some use!"
Finding humour in near-death situations
It is said that 'a laugh a day, keeps the doctor away'. Does that mean as a comedian Papa CJ is spared of the regular doctor visits?
"Laughter may not avoid pain coming into your life but it sure helps you process it," he says, "They say comedy is tragedy plus time however as a comedian who has been doing stand-up for 20 years, that time has reduced drastically."
Nowadays, Papa CJ sees humour even when he is in terrible pain because while an injury might be "painful as hell right now" it probably could translate into something hilarious on stage in the next six months.
"In June 2019 I had a huge motorcycle accident, when I almost died. My leg snapped in two pieces and I broke my wrist. The whole experience of that got turned into a new show called 'Unbroken'. I was taking photos and laughing and joking throughout the ordeal. My approach to the situation, while not taking away from the gravity of it and what needed to be done, also reduced the stress levels of the people around me."
Three words to describe Papa CJ...
While the stand up comedian may crack jokes and make people in the audience awkward, tables turned on him, when he was asked to quote three words that best defined him. "Funny. Warm. Authentic. And very awkward about answering this question!"
In the first three years of his comedy career in London, Papa CJ was able to do 700 shows. He had a gig lined up every single night of the week.
"There were 12 clubs within a one km radius of Leicester Square itself because enough audiences were stepping out for live shows. That isn’t the case anymore.
"I do miss the days when there wasn’t so much short format content available online and people actually stepped out for live comedy shows," he reminisces.
20 years in the business hasn't stopped Papa CJ from still enjoying doing live stand-up. It is the love of the game that keeps him going. "My stand-up, more often than not, isn't driven by what is going on outside. While topical events and situations do inform my material, my content is largely an external expression of my inward journey."
The Indian Experience
"Here, younger people enjoy dark humour much more than the older generations. For example, if you joked about a medical condition, young people might find it hilarious while older people don't. That's because they have either suffered from that condition themselves or know someone close who has."
"I tend to stay away from such humour," he cautions. "I am very happy to tease and embarrass my audience without being hurtful. I don't mind people walking out thinking ‘he took my happiness’, but I don’t want a single person walking out feeling bad."
Papa CJ's autobiographical show Naked (which was later turned into a book) also used comedy to process pain and from what audiences told him, "it gave them catharsis as well as they felt it was alright to find the humour in their own challenges".
Performing at the police station, ICU and at gun point!
"I do not endorse drinking and driving, however, I once had a friend who got arrested for driving above the alcohol limit in London and I ended up performing for the police in the police station to get him off the hook," he jokes, admitting that he has also performed in many other unexpected places and situations, including in a hospital ICU while a doctor was operating and under threat at gunpoint in South Africa.
Papa CJ believes laughter in itself is a gift. However, over the years, he has done plenty of fundraisers. Under the 'Happiness Project', he has also performed in cancer wards, orphanages, hospital rooms and the homes of terminally ill people.
His secret to a laughter-filled experience on-stage is to "just have fun".
"If the audience sees you having fun, they are more likely to jump aboard the happy train.
"There is no right way to do stand-up. You just have to figure out the way that is right for you," concludes Papa CJ.
Papa CJ is performing his 20th Comedy Anniversary show ‘Papa CJ: Still Standing Up’ at Jio World Drive in Mumbai on Saturday 23 August. Tickets are available on bookmyshow.
