“So the best way to address this, I thought, is the tip I give any aspiring public speaker just whatever your fears are, tell them that. Put it out there. If you're thinking "Oh my god I'm gonna have a disaster tonight and I can't believe all your faces are looking extremely ugly and it's making me even more anxious", tell them that. Yes, it'll take them a minute to second or two to process and be shocked, but then the brutal honesty of the connection that you're doing there will take you with them for the rest of the piece once you do that leap of faith you have to take the risk and that jump."

Today we speak with Aravind SA, a leading stand-up comedian and extraordinary storyteller.

I had attended a show by SA in Pune many years back. I vividly remember one statement he made - and I’m paraphrasing here - he said, “I don’t make jokes, I tell stories.”

Which is what he does in most of his shows. SA takes real-life incidents that he’s undergone, many of them traumatic… writes them down after extracting every drop of humour from them and then proceeds to perform them with his manic, intense, infectious energy.

But more than his funny bone and intensity…, what struck me was his deep, unabashed honesty. SA presents his full authentic self to you, warts and all.

For instance, he talks about his deep-seated need for attention… which makes him want to perform… coupled with his paradoxical fear of public speaking (which means he practices his routines obsessively).

He also opens up about mental health and how he copes with Attention Deficit Disorder.

This episode is a fascinating deep dive into the mind of an artist who’s as driven as he’s talented… and who’s fearlessly pushing the boundaries in his profession.

Links:
The famous 'Why I hate Lungi Dance' video
SA's 'I was not ready da' show on Amazon Prime
SA's 'Madrasi Da' show on Amazon Prime

E08: Aravind SA - Standup comedian and Storyteller extraordinaire