Anirban Dasgupta shares his Unforgettable Five gigs

Kolkata-born, Mumbai-based comedian Anirban Dasgupta is coming to London's Soho Theatre later this month with his show Cry Daddy, in which he treats stand-up as a sport,  with each joke is scored, yellow cards and half-time pep talks. Here he shares some of his most memorable gigs...

First gig

I have a great first gig story. My first ever open mic was remarkably in a 660-seater auditorium carrying a cash prize equivalent to £1,000. It was 2012, at Kolkata’s first ever comedy open mic. Twenty people showed up in the audience and only 3 people signed up to perform.

We had a set duration of four minutes and I mostly bombed. But I got the biggest laugh when my material ran out inside three minutes and I looked at my watch. That random laugh is probably the reason I continued doing stand-up. And of course I didn’t win the prize money.

My second gig was not bad either. It was straight up opening for Andy Zaltzman in a sold-out 330-seater. Andy was in Kolkata on commentary duties for a Test Match at Eden Gardens, and tweeted out looking for a gig in the city at the end of the fourth day’s play. 

I responded to it, and we managed to put it together. Then I did ten up top after having the grand experience of one open mic behind me. That went amazingly, somehow.

Most unusual gig location

I was booked for a launch party of a premium residential complex. The audience consisted of homeowners and included some Bollywood stars and international cricketers. I was told it’s an outdoor gig and I took it up anyway for the money.

But I was in for a shock when they showed me the setup. I was to perform on a platform on one side of the swimming pool, while the audience would be seated across the water. The swimming pool was Olympic size. I could see my own reflection in the water while performing. But I managed to transmit my jokes across the body of water and surprisingly got booked by the same agency for another show, which was indoors, thankfully.

I prefer the metaphoric wall between audience and comedian instead of water.

Most exotic gig

May 2022, the whole month of touring Western Australia with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was too exotic. We started in Darwin in the Northern Territory and drove along the entire Western coastline of the continent down to Albany. Chasing sunsets along the way and living in motels. We did 14 towns in 25 days, from the mining townships, to surfing paradises, to farm lands, we covered everything.

I was the only international act in the line-up and had an absolute blast performing for an audience who had no idea who I was, neither did I know who they were. It was the perfect comedy adventure with an amazing cast and crew. Some of the towns we performed in had a population less than my residential complex in Mumbai.

Favourite gig was in this beautiful town, Bunbury, which was preceded by the most exotic four days off on a secluded beach called Eighty Mile Beach. A world away from my life and comedy in India and a reminder that comedy takes you to some unbelievable places.

Strangest audience member

I get heckled a lot, and I somewhat fancy it, and I definitely attract it. 

But last year in Edinburgh, I couldn’t catch a break. During most of my run, I had disturbance from the audience up top, probably because I would start my show with a bit on Gandhi’s assassination that would take some Indian people by surprise. For context, there is hardly any political comedy in India except one or two comics. So they aren’t used to it. 

I had folks stop me in one show, threaten to walk out in another and so on. I would then take a step back, win over that person and keep referring to the derailment throughout the show, much to the delight of other audience members.

But one night towards the end of the month, I got stopped after that bit by a woman, and I was expecting the same old script to play out. But to my utter surprise, she started unironically celebrating the assassination and cheering on the assassin. I really had no answer. I’d rather have people walk out in anger.

Worst journey to a gig

Any gig in Mumbai, where I live. Often in Mumbai, due to traffic, people are 40 minutes late to a show, and by people, I mean me.

Every time I am stuck in hardcore traffic on my way to a gig, I appreciate the audiences who make the trek to a show in Mumbai. I have to go, it’s my job. They don’t. But still they do. Respect.

By the way, I recently put out a bit on YouTube where I ranked my favourite traffic jams of Mumbai, like they are tourist attractions. That resulted in a call from the traffic police headquarters, who had loved it and called me over for tea. Sometimes, the police can take a joke.

• Anirban Dasgupta Cry Daddy is on at Soho Theatre from September 30 to October 4.  Tickets

Published: 9 Sep 2025