From questions being raised on the way he looked to trying to make his mark, Balraj Syal has seen it all. And today on World Laughter Day, Balraj recounts his journey.
He shares, “Initially I didn’t want to be a stand-up artiste, I wanted to be an actor. I joined theatre thinking of the same. But then I unknowingly participated in comic plays, however the team didn’t make me part of the plays as they said I didn’t look funny. There was a misconception that a comedian needs to look a certain way.”
He adds, “Then Laughter Challenge came my way. One Punjabi channel made a comedy show where Kapil Sharma, Chandan Prabhakar and all participated. I was in the top 10 and that is where my laughter journey began from. But people used to tell me, ‘Tu comedian nahi lagta. Your content is good but you don’t look like a comedian.’ From 2016 onwards, I got my due as a stand-up comedian. I have done many shows before that but I used to get overshadowed in the crowd.”
He says that while he loves his work, it isn’t easy. “It is tough to make people laugh every day. People react according to their moods. So, it is very tough. But I always say that that’s why we are the chosen ones. There are very few stand-up comedians in the world. So, when you are chosen and are special, your work is also special. In 2014, I was shooting for Comedy Circus, my mom was sick and I wanted to be there for her cancer operation but I could not. This happens with us many times. As a comedian, one need to understand that people watch you to forget their stress. They don’t want to know about your stress. Also, the show must go on,” he says.
