By Vanshika Vipin Varma
STAFFORD: With our busy and hectic lives, it’s imperative to have a dose of comedy. And what better can it be than to have a break at a live Stand Up Comedy show! The icing on the cake is to have a fresh talent showcasing a new style of comedy and newer set of jokes. To crack-up Houstonians, a Stand-Up comedy show by Abhishek Upmanyu, was presented on Sunday, September 16 at Old Stafford Civic Center. Thoda Saaf Bol Stand-Up comedy show was presented by Prateek Jain of Energy Guru jointly with Amiralli Dodhiya of New York Life, and organized by Arif Memon of DMMS Events. DMMS Events is known for organizing triumphant shows in the likes of Varun Thakur held on April 27 and now the Abhishek Upmanyu show.
Personages like actors and cricketers were the most sought after figures till recent times. Comedians are growing up to be the new superstars of today’s generation, having uncountable numbers of social media followers and always being hounded by fans for Selfie requests; one of them being the very talented Abhishek Upmanyu. Abhishek, a rising star in the Stand Up comedy circuit, already has a fan following world over. Hailing from a predominantly Hindi speaking city of Delhi, he has now moved to Mumbai to kick-start his career and he humbly feels it may or may not bring him eminence. Nevertheless, due to his amazingly light delivery style, astounding comic timing and using Hindi as a medium of delivery in a peculiar north Indian accent which makes him stay true to his experiences, he has risen to be one of the finest comedians the country has ever seen. Besides having a Facebook following that comes to millions, and over 10 million dedicated viewers to his YouTube videos, he is enormously popular on Twitter as well under the handle Gareebguy. Known for killing it on stage, he hurls one cracker of a joke after another, thanks to his quick tongue. A slender, nerdy, yet quick-witted Delhi-ite, has a unique style of giving audiences a belly laugh not just through his jokes, but his body language as well. His expressions and jokes from his real life experiences in the cities he has lived in and from his reminiscences from childhood are put across in a way so as to amuse the audiences.
He has been hopping from captivating shows since the beginning of this year starting Singapore, Dubai and now US. Being quick witted and fast with his words, he hilariously named his US Tour Thoda Saaf Bol (speak clearly), promising a fun filled evening through his brand new jokes intended to leave his fans roaring with laughter.
Arif Memon from DMMS Events aimed at having audiences at ease in the midst of their busy lives. Being on a sequential entertainment drive, DMMS has scheduled a 2-comedian show for October 20, promising a special deal for those who attend both the shows. DMMS provides quality sound equipments, top-in-class lights, LED panels, HD projectors with the biggest screens, besides Event Management. Arif Memon, who heads DMMS, is a stalwart in this domain, and wears various hats, that of an actor, besides being fondly known as RJ Arif. The Houston show was a part of the first time USA tour for Abhishek Upmanyu. The evening commenced with Arif Memon welcoming the audiences and the presenters. The show was set about in a unique way with the screening of the short film AZAADI, an India – Pakistan Independence day viral short film under the banner Dil Ki Baat, directed by Harshh Mahadeshawar. What brought an instant smile amongst the audiences was having one of the roles played by the man himself, Arif Memon, along with Omkar Deshpande and Ali Sheikh. The film was much appreciated by the audience. The film is selected at the International Film Festival – Boston, having crossed 200k shares on social media and 12 million views all over.
As patriotism seeped in, Tanveer Arora, a Hinglish comedian from Austin walked in on the stage and had the audiences in splits before the star of the night Abhishek took over. For about the next hour, the auditorium was filled with sounds of incessant cackling as Abhishek went on with his gags. He wittily began with weighing how US was different from India, stating, grass is actually greener here, salad is real salad here. He also compared how Delhi was different from Mumbai. How the audiences couldn’t stop laughing was itself a sight to watch. One of the best jokes he made was on the popular serial Crime Patrol and it was amusingly rib tickling. His one-liner on a serious note about women’s rights in India followed by his own life experiences and instances about his parents were a parody. The audience included all age groups. During the entire show, audiences were howling with laughter and Abhishek received the much-deserved standing ovation.
Arif Memon concluded by thanking sponsors and media. He said, “This show could not have been possible without the sponsors”. He acknowledged the efforts of Prateek Jain from Energy Guru, Amiralli Dodhiya from New York Life, Pervez Jasani from Cellpay, Devesh Phatak from CPA, Desi Box, Tastee Pizza and Wings, Zentigue, Maharaja Jewellers, Umang Mehta of Deep Foods, Blu Beverages, Halal5 for the sumptuous meals and media Partners – Indo-American News and HUMFM 106.1. He also thanked Darshak Thacker from Krishna Sounds for sound equipments, Arsheen and Shareen Memon, Sami Khaleeq, Padma Mishra, Puroo Kaul and Aziz Bhaidani of Holiday Inn.
Next comedy event featuring Rahul Subramanium and Kunal Kamra is scheduled on October 20, at the Stafford Civic Center 8:30pm. Tickets will be available at hungamacity.com
For further details and information about upcoming shows call Arif Memon at 832-287-8786
