From Veerappan to Zebra 65: My Favourite 8 from Praveen Kumar’s Show

Last night was a stand-up comedy show by Praveen Kumar. It’s something I’ve only experienced in Singapore. Making people laugh is quite a difficult task. One reason is that people are too busy nowadays — scrolling endlessly, indulging in one-minute shorts and reels. Hence, the expectancy rises.

Sticking to a show for nearly 1.5 hours and creating magic with just words, expressions, and timing — only the presenter of the stand-up comedy could make it happen.

I used to hear speeches by Thenkachi K. Swaminathan, the veteran Tamil orator known for his witty and thought-provoking talks on daily life. Some speeches would be short, some would go on for about an hour. But I never got bored — I stayed interested and curious till the end. Same with Kenny Sebastian, one of India’s most popular stand-up comedians. (A huge contrast in my choices — Thenkachi and Kenny!)

It’s Thenkachi and Kenny, not Thenkachi vs Kenny. Never ever comparable. It’s clear their genres differ, and they’re not even contemporary speakers. Yet, the point is — their well-timed jokes.

Thenkachi makes us think through his speech, Kenny makes us laugh through his comedy. That’s the power of a well-timed joke — it’s always remembered.

Yesterday night was one such night. But this time, the presenter was Praveen Kumar.

I even audio recorded his show just to use it for my blog. But the moment I started writing, I felt the recording was useless — words just poured in from my memories. Because a well-timed joke turns into something more evergreen in our minds.

I always have a doubt — whether these presenters really share their true personal stories or something salted and peppered! But anyway, they manage to hook us every time, right till the end.

Firstly, the show name — 8! Marking his 8 years in stand-up comedy. Truly appreciable.

There was even inspiration from Rajinikanth — his song that talks about dividing life into 8 parts, emphasizing the power of 8! Ra ra ra Ramayya — that’s the song.

And so, Praveen Kumar took us on a journey — from his childhood through school, college, work, and finally family. So let me say, 8 takeaways that I’ll always remember:

— The moment he spoke about his inspiration to catch Veerappan after watching Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies, to giving up Taekwondo because he couldn’t manage the lunges (lungis — haha! Thank god he didn’t say lungs!) and the push-ups (push!) — it truly connected with my childhood. We watch an action hero movie… and suddenly, we want to be that hero too!

— The energy of Jackie Chan in movies compared with the bunny in the Duracell battery advertisement! And the comparison of his baldness — when his head hits the top of the police van every time it goes over a speed breaker — to the Britannia advertisement tin tin ti tin, tin tin ti tin… Baldness is definitely not a speed breaker in his life! These comparisons — thoughtful and hilarious!

— The irony of the place where he did his college — it was so hot that hens didn’t lay eggs; they laid omelettes! That’s the kind of touch he added.

— Another place where he stayed was so cold that his teeth chattered like a typewriter — but the difference was that with that kind of shivering, he could actually get the print too! Someone in the audience said it sounded like Crazy Mohan stuff — and I agree!

— Let Us C — that programming book (I’m too bad at programming!) — and his sudden imagination of building a software company, and having his book placed next to The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari as The Programmer Who Bought That Ferrari. Why? Just because he got an output in 3 lines! Only to discover later that the system gives output even when no program is entered!

Key takeaway: We imagine unimaginable things from little wins. So it’s partially inspirational — like a partially verified program output!

— His room, shared with a friend, had no airflow. Not through the window, not through the door — not even through the windows of his laptop!

— How his roommate Vasu turned into P(ee) Vasu — because he drank too much water, and so the natural process followed. It turns out there’s a famous film director named P. Vasu as well! His roommate used to kick him out of sleep, all thanks to the action movie effects from the night before. And how he related this to a dream with references from the Hollywood movie Inception — was truly funny!

— And especially the ‘zebra meat’ in Ivory Coast. The way he explained how he expected zebra meat on a proper South Indian plate was too captivating. When rice was spread over the banana leaf, he expected zebra in the form of curry. When onion sambar was poured over the rice instead of zebra curry, he imagined zebra in the form of roast at the very least— maybe zebra 65, or tandoori zebra… all the way till the end, only to receive curd rice in a hot box. No zebra anywhere!

There’s a lot more to say about the show.

I’m the kind of person who finds it painful even to keep a smiling face for photos. But last night, I held a photo pose — smiling and laughing throughout the show, all the way till the end — in spite of the pain in my jaws!