Karan Wahi: Comedy in India is one-dimensional, making fun of someone is considered funny

Actor Karan Wahi, who has done a few non-fiction shows, says he is bad at mimicking people. He adds that in real life, he is funnier than what he is on-camera.

Karan Wahi, who has done a few comedy shows on television, calls the experience enriching. However, he feels that “comedy in India is one-dimensional”. According to the actor, people tend to make fun of a person, and that for them, is comedy. But, he says, comedy is more than that.

Karan Wahi is open to doing comedy shows, but the offer needs to be appealing enough. (imkaranwahi/Instagram)

“Making people laugh is a difficult task. Having done comedy shows, I can say that. At times, even the jokes that we think are the best, fall flat. So, there are a lot of things that one needs to consider while performing,” says Wahi, adding that he is way funnier in real life than in front of the camera. “That’s because there are certain things that I can say behind the camera and not when I am facing it. But I am working on my skills. I am bad at mimicking people and I think that hampers my element. In India, if you have that talent [the ability to mimic], you can pull off a lot of characters.”

The actor, who has done shows such as Comedy Nights with Kapil, Comedy Classes and Comedy Nights Bachao is all praise for comedy as a genre. He says, “It gives an actor endless opportunities to perform and that’s why actors enjoy doing such shows.”

Talking about his favourite comedians, the actor adds that he is a fan of Canadian stand-up comedian Russell Peters, American ventriloquist and comedian, Jeff Dunham, among others. “I used to watch a lot of Russell Peters while growing up. I also love Bharti Singh because she is a very talented artist and a wonderful human being. It is always a pleasure collaborating with her. Kapil Sharma, Krushna Abhishek, Sudesh Lehri, are also my favourites,” adds Karan.

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