Richa Chadha mentored by comics Ashish Shakya, Sapan Verma for her gig on One Mic Stand
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 6, 2019)

Given her sharp comic timing in Fukrey (2013), it's a pity Richa Chadha hasn't got the opportunity to display her funny streak more often in films. Keen to explore her favourite genre, the actor signed up for the upcoming stand-up special, One Mic Stand, that sees celebrities take the stage and present their sketch to a live audience.

Chadha reveals that while she knew her style of comedy leaned towards satire and dry humour, she turned to comics Sapan Verma and Ashish Shakya to help her hone her craft. "I have dabbled in stand-up before, but taking this on was a challenge. Sapan and Ashish have distinct styles and I imbibed their individual style [for my act]. They pushed me to do better at each step," says Chadha, who spent a week with the duo polishing her material.

As an artiste, she is no stranger to expressing herself in public, but Chadha adds that tickling the audience's funny bone can be exciting as well as daunting. "Humour, for me, is a fairly natural way of expressing myself. [But here] I struggled with how much I should reveal of myself, because people think of me as a serious person. So it was an experiment. But then, I owe my career to experimentation."


Sapan Verma and Ashish Shakya