Standup comedy is all about trial and error, says Sapan Verma

Experimenting with comedy can be tricky – it could be the difference between a joke landing right versus a lawsuit. Munawar Faruqui, Kunal Kamra, and Vir Das are among those who’ve experienced this first-hand. 

But a comedian who has been able to tread that fine line is standup comedian Sapan Verma.

Considered among the stalwarts of standup comedy in India, Sapan has a different approach for creating comedy – it stems from his experience of the pandemic.

“When I started my tour recently, I began with a genuine thought that everyone was coming out of like three years of stress and hard times. I don’t want to pick up any heavy political or current affairs material because people are stepping out just to be happy and have a good time,” Sapan says. 

The changing landscape of comedy

Standup comedy has gone through myriad changes and this has made it harder for  punchlines to land right. So how does one stay relevant in changing times?

“There is no pathway or benchmark for comedy,” Sapan says. “We are all exploring. I'm at a point in my career where I have been doing this for almost 12 years now. So I know I have decently established myself to take chances, and now do what I want to do and skip the things I don't want to do in a way.”

Sapan says you have to figure out what you like doing and do a good job in any art form. 

An engineer by education, he recalls the time when he co-founded East India Comedy in 2012 as a way of staying relevant and pulling larger audiences. In those times, the concept of the creator economy was nascent and individual standup comedians had a hard time scaling.

Sapan and a few other comedians like Sahil Shah, Kunal Rao, Sorabh Pant, Atul Khatri, Azeem Banatwalla, and Angad Singh Ranyal started putting videos of their live shows on YouTube under the banner of East India Comedy (EIC). 

But, times have changed.  “It was the need of the hour then. Today, all of us have found our niche audiences and space. That doesn’t mean EIC is shut down; it is always good to have people to constantly collaborate with,” he says. 

Since then, Sapan has added many other feathers to his cap. In 2019, he managed to get big names like Shashi Tharoor, Taapsee Pannu, Bhuvan Bam, and Sunny Leone to perform live comedy for the hit Prime Video web series One Mic Stand. 

He has also opened for international artists like Coldplay and Jay Z, and has held more than 1,500 live shows across India and in cities like New York, Melbourne, Paris, Dubai, and Singapore. 

“It might look very easy on the stage, but every night it’s just a lot of crying, complaining, scratching your head, and pulling your hair out. Usually, I have a notes folder in my pocket when I am travelling and tend to jot down funny thoughts that come to my mind.

“Standup comedy is all about trial and error; at some point, it gets better.”

Sapan is open to experimentation, but being true to oneself matters most to him. 

“Reinvent yourself to stay abreast of new trends, but not at the cost of your content,” he says.

He adds that while doing standup, he makes sure to upload a 10-minute video on YouTube and then edit it down to a 45-second clip for Instagram. “I think it’s just about understanding your audience and giving them the content that they want.”

Cracking the metrics game

Content creators often devote a big chunk of their time to understand the metrics of their social media handles - this can often become overwhelming. 

Sapan, who isn’t immune to the fear of metrics, says he wants to stay away from the numbers’ game.

“Thankfully, I am in a space where I am doing enough without the pressure of being popular. I haven’t put out a video on YouTube for years now. I keep thinking but I am busy doing live shows,” he says, adding that he gave up tracking numbers during the pandemic. 

“I am only doing a few things but I am going to do them well.” 

His advice for upcoming comedians? Don’t give up everything for a comedian’s career.

“You don’t need to quit your day job or education to become a full-time comedian. Do it on the side on weekends. It all starts with an open mic night and five-minute material, right? Slowly build it up and you will start getting bigger and better shows,” Sapan says.