At 34, I feel like I’m ancient, says Sorabh Pant

Fatherhood has a unique way of affecting one’s career. For some, it’s a stimulant, while for others it means taking a break for familial commitments. But for stand up comic, Sorabh Pant, it was a bit of both. While the past fifteen months have kept the comic busy changing diapers, it hasn’t really kept him from making people laugh. In fact it even gave him the idea for his latest act, My Baby Thinks I’m Funny.

“The day my baby was born was was the only day I wasn’t taking notes!” quips Sorabh, who further adds, “The thing is, I never thought I’ll be able to get so much content out of this. I’ve been taking notes for this show for two and a half years now. It’s just about the best writing I’ve done so far.”

Ask him what made him come up with the idea for his latest act and he says, “You see, babies cost a lot of money! And this show is my way of using him to get my money back. (Laughs) But jokes aside, I’ve had this idea of making a show on my son for a long time now. But initially I thought the crux of the act would be along the lines of ‘What’s up with babies’ or something. But then it changed as I went along.”

But being a father is not easy, especially in Sorabh’s circle, which is mostly filled with 20-somethings. He points out, “You know everyone in their 20s is like, ‘Dude, I’m never having a baby’ and I was no different. But now I am a father and it really changes things. For example, ever since the baby came in, I’ve just become fatter and I don’t even care.” And a large chunk of his audience too being in the 17-25 age group really isn’t helping either. At 34, I feel like I’m ancient. In fact, Anuvab (Pal) is my only solace. Every time I feel old, I look at him!” adds the comic.

But Sorabh has no regrets. “I have a ball with my son and he is my favourite member of the audience,” he says. So does his son laugh at all his jokes “Well, sometimes he starts crying, but for the sake of my self confidence I just say to myself that he must be hungry.” As for the name of his show, Sorabh explains, “The idea came from when I was in Chennai, where some people gave me a T-shirt which read ‘My dad thinks I’m funny’ and I thought that’s what I’ll use for the title. But people started thinking the show is about my dad! So I had to change it.”

Telling us more about his act, “It has a slight tinge of emotion, but it’s silly nonetheless. I’ve got some great content, be it about going to the doctor or the bloody Lamaze (a kind of breathing exercise) classes, there’s so much that can be made fun of. And unlike other genres like say political satire, this is something that everyone, everywhere in the world can connect with. Even the politicians have babies so they’ll find it funny too!” he adds.

With about five shows lined up across India and even abroad, Sorabh is planning to go big with this act. “I want to take it everywhere. I am planning on at least 6-8 countries. As of now, I’ve only performed in Gurgaon and the response has been great. But for now, I am looking forward to the big show at the NCPA,” he says as he signs off.

My Baby Thinks I’m Funny by Sorabh Pant On June 4, 8 pm, At Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point Entry: Rs 300 —Rs 1,000