He's Tam, he's funny, he's an Iyer!

We've seen enough of our firang and psuedo desi stand up comedians poke fun at us for being Indians, but here's an Indian who does the same thing, just that he's funnier and so much more adorable

What started off as a random knack for making the young pretty things giggle at parties has sure come a long way for this funny man, who's now famous for being the funniest stand up to watch south of the Vindhyas.

An Opus regular and a brand in himself, Kartik Iyer, more famously known as HigherIyer, which we're quite sure is a spin off from the Hiyer-Iyengar joke, is a man brimming with energy. He's as much fun to talk to on the phone as he is on stage and that's why were so sure he's a winner and a must watch.

"Well, I perform every year and it is always a challenge since people expect something new every single time.
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So, this year there will be new sections added to the performance," Kartik says and chuckles quite interestingly.

Now, we're sure he's up to something quite naughty!

Why does Kartik make his audience crack up so much, we asked a regular and we were quite surprised at what they considered 'his simple formula'. "Kartik is funny to most of us, because he makes complete sense to anyone who's South Indian at heart," the regular said. Kartik agreed and added, "This is a show from a South Indian point of view, to make it simpler it's a show from the mind and psyche of a proper TamBram. That should explain enough."

HigherIyer began four to five years ago and the first three years were limited to performances at Opus. Last year however he says, "I did a couple of big shows and this year I already had a record number of nine shows."

"The funny part," he adds, "is that I took this as a serious profession only in 2008. So it hasn't been that long"
How did it all begin we ask him and he lets us in on the career secret. "It was Carlton who got me going when I used to fool around at Croak Nights earlier on." "Performing at Opus for him however is still the most demanding challenge for me as I have to entertain a similar crowd almost every time," he adds.u00a0

u00a0"If in the first five minutes, I do not get the audience on my side, the show is lost," he says and we agree. He usually does a mix for his shows, being partly scripted and the rest being improvised. "30 per cent of my show is based on improvisation," he says adding, that he usually cracks some of his best jokes when improvising.



He is very particular that he only performs when there is a crowd of more than 150 people, but once, he did not know the number of people and was surprised to find out that there were only 25. "I was intimidated and shocked," he says. He then went on to crack some jokes regarding the Anglo Indian community and there was an awkward silence, later only for him to realize that six out of that small group came from that very community!

With that we sign off as we're sure the little chat has informed us enough. Don't be surprised if you see one of us at the performance too. As the old saying goes, 'you become genuinely funny, only when you can poke fun at yourself,' so when it comes to the hilariousness about being Indian and the intricacies and cultural differences we share, why not support an Indian stand-up who knows what he's talking about, rather than some random foreigner?

At: Opus, Palace Cross Road
8 pm onwards
Call: 2344 2580