The explaining stand-up is therapy disguised as comedy where he navigates the complexity of relationships and the privilege that comes with being a man.
Ansplaining navigates the complexity of relationships and the privilege that comes with being a man.
Kartik Kumar doesn’t care what you think about his new show Answering. If you do not find his comedy funny, then do not worry if you do not find stand up comedians. And to be honest, there are parts of the show that are not funny at all. The parts where the audience leans forward, desperate for laughs to break the tension.
That long, awkward pause is exactly what he revels in.
“People are writing me long notes after every show,” he says. “With my earlier shows they used to send messages like ‘Fantastic’ or ‘That was fun.’ With Ansplaining, I don’t want to know if you think it’s great or not. I want to know if It made you think…”
Co-founder of the performing arts organization, Evam, Karthik has switched from theater to films for stand-up comedy, but despite being in the limelight, he finds himself uncomfortable with the visual public gaze. There was a flurry of commentary online, especially after his 13-year marriage to popular RJ and singer Suchitra Ramdurai. Now married to actor Amrita Srinivasan – the wedding took place in December 2021 – he continues to evade the press rather than bare his soul on stage.
“I am only comfortable when I do it through my art,” he says, unexpectedly to confess in the silence of a breathless, dark auditorium. In asspelling – without spoiling any – Karthik maneuvers through the complexity of relationships as well as the privileges and challenges that come with being a man.
Kartik Kumar’s latest show, Explaining | photo credit: special arrangement
“COVID-19, for me, was a kind of emotional reveal. I had no work, which meant I lost one thing that defined myself. I realized that when I had nothing to do, I felt like I was nothing… It shook me,” he says thoughtfully.
Kartik says that these feelings were linked to a long distance relationship at that time. “It was dangerously toxic and exposed my lack of self love… My friends tried to protect me, but I had given up on my first relationship and I didn’t want to leave my second one. So as much as I should was longer than that.”
As a stand up comic who normally plays safe, preferring to take a look at deeply personal aspects of his past, he struggles to tell some of these stories on stage. “I’m uncomfortable doing that part,” he agrees. “It was hard to write… It’s the part of my show that I thought would attract the least amount of audience. But, it’s what gives me the most powerful feedback. I’m realizing now that everyone is the same.” Has been in a toxic relationship, or is in one, or knows someone who is in a…”
Although in 2016, he publicly announced that he was quitting films, Kartik recently landed a role in R Madhavan’s film. Rocketry, The Nambi Effect. He is also busy in his directorial feature film super senior heroes, which is in the final stages of post production and is scheduled for release this year. And, he is a part of another film, which will be announced soon. So much for leaving the cinema? “Never say never, right?” He smiles.
Kartik says the problem is limelight. “While performing, one percent of the time, you’re in the spotlight, and 99 percent of the time, I don’t like being recognized in the mall or taking selfies. I have no appetite for fame. Doing that dance for the audience Quite exhausting. At 45, I feel like a 75-year-old!”
Instead of focusing on being an entertainer, he says that now he feels eager to communicate. “I’m more comfortable with myself, I don’t feel like I need validation. I realize that the only truth I’m sure of is my personal truth. Now, as I do this show, I Realize that people are sympathetic because so many of them have been in the same place.”
Ansplanning is in downtown Phoenix Market on July 18, after which it heads to Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Madurai. Log on to karthikkumar.live for details and tickets