Interview | Neeti Palta: Get offended by the truth behind the joke, not the joke itself

Comedian Neeti Palta has garnered acclaim for her distinctive comedic style that effortlessly blends satire and relatability. Her performances not only split sides but also open doors to insightful reflections on societal norms. We had the delightful opportunity to sit down with Neeti, where she shedlight on how comedy can deftly navigate the intricate web of the world's complexities. Known for her remarkable ability to extract humour from the ordinary, she is currently sweeping across the nation with her Ulta Palta Tour 2023, leaving audiences in stitches while also provoking thought. During this exclusive interview, we embark on a journey through Neeti's evolution, tracing her comedic roots and unveiling the secrets behind her iconic style.

Edited excerpts:

Q. Welcome to WION, Neeti. Your comedy often addresses societal issues, in a funny way, obviously. However, given the diverse audience you cater to, do you ever feel you need to balance the expectations of those who appreciate your outspokenness, and those who may be opposed to any criticism or commentary on sensitive matters?

Add WION as a Preferred Source

A. People who come to my shows specifically either know my kind of work, or they come out of curiosity. Live audiences very rarely tend to take offence all that much, because they have put in the time and effort to come. You'll really 'offence brigade' on YouTube and other places. Basically where you know, they come from the comfort of homes... everyone is a little freer to criticise.

Q. Comedy can be a powerful platform for storytelling. Is there any true story from your life or an incident that you've transformed into a hilarious bit during your performances?

A. Pretty much all of them. If you watch Almost Sanskari, all the stories are there from my life, and they are all true. This is another thing I do say, because not only stories, all jokes come from some truth somewhere. People criticise stereotyping, but even stereotypes come from somewhere, right? Obviously, you can't say all of Punjab is like this. And all Gujjus (Gujaratis) are like this in all, but surely, there was something that led to the birth of the stereotypes. If people are to take offence, I always say get offended by the situation, get offended by the truth behind the joke — rather than the joke. Because the joke's intent is never to cause harm. It's only there to highlight certain things.

Q. You perform for diverse audiences in India and overseas. Do you attempt to relate to audiences from different backgrounds? Is there any attempt to involve the audience you are performing for? Or it's just universal?

A. This is the inside dope but a lot of times we keep the audience in the dark. From the stage, you can only see the front row, or maybe the front two rows. It's not just for the comic, it's largely for the audiences as they feel more comfortable laughing when they're not brightly lit. So it's a psychological thing. But I always put some light somewhere so I can see my audience. Because when I'm talking to people, I want to be able to make eye contact with them. Then I can watch them, and see their expressions. There are so many things you see on the spot. Yesterday in Kolkata, front row, I realised there was a couple there with their 17-year-old son. Of course, I stuck to my show, but I was also talking to them. I was talking to other people in the audience who were standing out. That's always warmer. And from city to city, there are different audiences and cultures, but there is also similar upbringing and similar kind of experiences. There are a lot of similarities and dissimilarities also, that's the beauty. I was wearing a white T-shirt with blue borders yesterday. And I'm like, 'Man, I really blended into Kolkata.

Q. Stand-up comedy, I guess, can be demanding as well, to the comic. Is it difficult to take care of yourself and maintain your creativity and enthusiasm?

A. There are several days like that. But not on the days that I have shows because those days I'm hyper, I can't tell you how much I eat, because I'm just so excited. I'm probably burning in my inside. But the travel gets to you, the solo travel. There's a lot of time you spend just with yourself, so you better hope you like yourself. Other than there are days when I am struggling to come up with new material. Those long, lonely days, when you're just sitting at your desk racking your brain for something new, something different. That's always tough.

Q. I was going to ask something similar. I'm well aware of the phenomenon called writer's block. Is there something like that for comedians, when the brain just shuts down? If yes, what do you do when that happens?

A. The problem is, it's not physical labour. You can't force yourself into it. At best you can try and set a routine and show up at your desk every day,"Ki maine karna hi karna hai (that I have to do it)". Maybe just start writing stream of consciousness, or whatever's going through your head at that time — maybe something comes out of that. There have been days when I've written pages thinking, 'Wow, today, I worked so much!' The next day, I read the same pages, and I'm like, 'Is mein ek bhi joke nahi hai (this doesn't have a single joke)'. I can't think of one joke! (laughs)

Q. I have a friend who is a budding stand-up comic. He has done a couple of live shows. So he has this recurring nightmare that he's standing on thestage in front of an audience, and the joke does not land and all he hears is boos.Do you have such fears?

A. Booing is not what I'm worried about. Yeah, the silence has happened. There are jokes that are funny only in your own head. Or sometimes you will have a total disconnect. In Ulta Palta, I have long stories. For example, there's a story I have on dogs. Now, if you don't like dogs, I don't know how invested you will be like in an 8 to 10-minute story. So things like that do worry. But then that's how you hone your skills. You have to stick to being yourself and stick to your voice. Don't start pandering to audiences, because your audience will be different every time.

Q. We talked about, you know, being trolled by people from different political parties or political affiliations. Do you get heckled?

A. Trolling is not just from political parties. It's also from a lot of random people. And I've never been able to figure out why someone would take the time and trouble to actually write such nonsense. Like, how empty is your life? Yesterday, I told somebody that — because they were saying they love the show — so I said, 'Why don't you post about it online?' Because we get so many more negative comments, perhaps because negative people have time. Happy people obviously have busy lives. That's why they are happy. As for how do I deal with the hecklers? Initially, when we were starting out comedy hecklers were our worst nightmare. Because we used to cram stuff. And we'd be like, 'If someone heckles us, we won't have a comeback or we'll forget our joke'. Now, we have experience.

Right now I can say this much depending on the level of heckling and the intent of the heckler... sometimes the heckler is just adding to everything you say. Which is very annoying, but you can see that he's actually enjoying himself. You know, when you say the punch line, he will try and add a tag to it.

Q. Sometimes people fact-check jokes...

A. Oh yeah. So we call them joke-checkers also. You can always tackle them and say, 'For the purpose of the joke...' and then they'll be okay. But if someone is doing full-on heckling, then they've given me permission to take them down. They fired the first salvo. And after all, I am a professional and I have a mic in my hands and I am on the stage for a reason. When you take down the heckler, you prove you are the alpha in the room. And you automatically get even more respect on stage (laughs).

Q. If somebody young wanted to be a comedian, what advice would you give to them?

A. I would say try and get as much stage time as possible. Hit every open mic you can, and watch a lot of comedians in action live. The more stage time you have, the more you write. Because that's the only way you will start finding your voice. But the biggest advice is, don't try to be like someone, because it's [the stand-up comedy scene in India] becoming rapidly crowded. And you won't stand out if you just sound like someone else. And thensomeone else will probably just be himself and be better at being himself than you can ever be. There are a lot of new comics coming in saying this is George Carlin's style, and this is Seinfeld's or Chris Rock's. They try and copy those styles, and it doesn't work. You are in this environment, you're a person with a set of experiences and a certain kind of voice. So use all of that to your advantage, rather than trying to be like someone else.

Q. Who are some of your favourite comedians, Indian or otherwise?

A. Well, in the Indian circuit for different genres, I have different comics. I love Varun Grover. I love the simplicity of his comedy. I love the simple sarcasm he uses. I try and catch his show wherever. Overseas I used to enjoy Eddie Izzard. It was a lot of very smart comedy. I really like the work of Cristela Alonzo. I have only seen her on Netflix a little bit. Hannah Gadsby is another one, who I've watched live and really enjoyed.

Q. Okay, Neeti. That's all for me. Thank you so much.

A. Thanks a lot. Bye!

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.