Laughter is the best medicine, they say. So, if you think you have it in you to tickle the funny bones, here’s your chance to have a crack at stand-up comedy. YouTube channel Cineprise Entertainments has invited entries for its stand-up comedy web reality show called Koothu , perhaps a first of its kind in South India. Hosted by Kochi-based stand-up artiste Vinay Menon, Koothu will bring together a final selection of 10 contestants for the show, to be shot in select venues across the State.
“Aspiring stand-up comedians who wish to participate can send us a two-minute performance video on any topic, shot in portrait mode. The focus is on bringing out and providing a platform for amateur stand-up comics,” says Vinay, who will be mentoring the 10 contestants during the show.
He points out that the show intends to rope in comic artistes “who are not just funny but are good in writing comedy and also have a noticeable presence in social media”, thus looking at their “overall” profile. “They can perform in Malayalam, English or ‘Manglish’ depending on the participant’s comfort level,” says Vinay, adding that there’s no age restriction for entries.
With digital content gaining wider traction and a large chunk of feedback pouring in from “social media”, the show’s makers aim to keep the “voting” process primarily online. “As the show progresses, audience votes will be mainly online-based as it is ostensibly more convenient. Also, instead of merely just blindly voting, audience can have the advantage of going back and checking the content again to make a better judgement,” explains Vinay, who spearheads the collective Comedy Lounge.
He says the show also wants to steer clear of the “customary drama” associated with judges and the assessment methods that are often part of reality shows. “The idea is to help contestants perform in front of a crowd and that performance is the content. The analysis and adjudication will be carried out behind-the-scenes. The episodes will be in such a format wherein all 10 contestants will be performing for every episode in the initial rounds,” says Vinay. Amal Krishna, executive producer of Cineprise Entertainments, says the show will follow a points-based system revolving around voting and elimination.
Describing humour as “democratic,” Vinay says one advantage of bringing out such a show as a web series is the “greater creative independence” it lends, unperturbed by censorship concerns. The show was originally scheduled to launch in April but the premier has been indefinitely pushed back owing to the ongoing Coronavirus scenario.
Vinay says the show’s title, Koothu , is a nod to the performance art form Chakyarkoothu for the parallels he finds between it and stand-up comedy. “Both thrive on elements of satire and possess the ability to take potshots at society, often through an engaging story people can relate to. Both forms are down-to-earth and can be hard-hitting when delivered well,” he says, adding that the challenge is to entertain “different types of audience” as the jokes come with a lot of modern-day references.
Entries for Koothu can be sent as email to cinepriseproductions @gmail.com. Contact: 9072002988
