Soumya Vajpayee (BOMBAY TIMES; May 30, 2019)

Though this marks his fifth tour in India, comedian Russell Peters holds the country close to his heart. “India has always been an integral part of all my comic sets, because I feel that’s my identity. When I’m in Canada, I’m an Indian man and when I’m in America, I’m an Indo-Canadian. So, India is something that’s constant in my life. I have many memories of this place, as both my parents were from here. I’ve been doing stand-up for 30 years and I figured that this would be the best way to show the people of India that I love and respect the country,” says the popular stand-up artiste, as he sits down for a conversation with Bombay Times. He talks about how the racism and bullying he experienced as a child continues to impact him, his love for Indian audiences, why politics doesn’t interest him and Bollywood. Excerpts:

Do you keep certain things in mind while preparing a set for your shows in India?
No, India is not that crazy when it comes to content. While performing in the middle-eastern countries, you need to be a little more careful about certain things. I’ve always bragged about the fact that people in India understand my jokes better than Indians who live abroad, because they seem to be more dialled in. People in India aren’t fixated on being Indian. They already know who they are. On the other hand, the NRIs still think that the country is stuck in the year that they left it in. So, if they left in 1975, in their head, India is still in 1975. It’s 2019, and the pace here is like you guys are already in 2025.

What do you like about the Indian audience?
I find them tolerant and sharp. They always get the little intricacies, which people in a lot of other countries don’t.

Do you follow the stand-up scene in India?
No, I actually don’t watch stand-up much. I’m at the comedy club all the time, performing with the best of artistes. So, for me, to sit at home and watch more comedy would be mindboggling.

You were subjected to racist bullying in school. And now, racist jokes are an integral part of the kind of comedy you do...
I’m glad you asked this. I crack racial jokes, not racist ones. They are two very different things. Racial describes people. If my jokes come across as racist, that’s because I am breaking down racism and making fun of racists.

So, how have those bullying incidents impacted you?
To this day, it actually shapes the way I look at myself. So, if I’m self-deprecating, that’s probably because from a young age I was told, ‘You are nothing’. It stays with you, no matter how much you have achieved. It’s like the seed that was planted when you were about five years old and it grows with you.

Is there any topic that you don’t like to touch upon while performing?
I don’t touch politics at all; I don’t know anything about it. Whether it’s here, in America or Canada, I don’t pay any attention to it because it doesn’t matter who is in power; no one is really going to do anything that will help the world. We still live in a weird, self-serving time, where people don’t care about other people. I’m an empath, so I’m always caring about other people.

But politics is a favourite topic among comedians in India…
Yes, I’m sure. In the US, when you turn on the TV, every talk show is doing political material. So, why would you pay to see someone talk about something that you could have heard for free on TV? I like to take people out of that and make them look at life in a different way.

In real life, how different are you from the Russell Peters the world knows?
The on-stage version is a less filtered version of me. When you give me a microphone, the filter just drops away.

You have also done a few films…
I like acting; it’s fun. The end product, being on set and meeting famous people is fun. I’m still a fan, so when I see famous celebrities, I still geek out. I remember, I was part of a table read with Robert De Niro about a month ago in New York. He was sitting across the table and I was doing scenes with him. I was trying to stay in the moment, but in my head, I was like, ‘Holy crap, that’s Robert Dr Niro right there and he is talking to me’.

Do you follow Bollywood?
No, I know some of the celebs because they are nice to me. I know SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) and Hrithik Roshan pretty well. Priyanka (Chopra Jonas) is cool; I’m happy for her.

Have you ever been offered a Bollywood film?
Not really. I don’t think that’s my scene. I wouldn’t want a role to be wasted on me. In fact, someone who is passionate about the genre and is good at it should get the opportunity. If a good film comes my way, I wouldn’t say no. So, if Shah Rukh says, ‘Hey man! I’m working on this and I really want you,’ then I might consider it.