Social media hasn’t changed the way I write jokes: Amit Tandon

Written by: Yashaswi KocharAmit Tandon, who was recently in Ahmedabad for his show, says, “Most of my jokes are as relevant as they were 7-8 years ago. But the introduction line I wrote 16 years ago still works very well, ‘Produced by mother, directed by wife.

’”Talking about his upcoming projects, Amit says, “I am working on a few series, and my new show Aise Kaise is ready. There is a show about partition, which still needs approvals and sponsors. I am also writing Tandon Talkies, a show on 100 years of Indian cinema.” Excerpts from a chat: ‘All kinds of comedy are finding their own audience’When it comes to creative boundaries, the internet has made a big difference. Now, you can just put out stuff and reach out to the audience.

Earlier, the medium was television, where there were multiple filters and approvals. Your content, your delivery, everything had to be approved by the director and channel. Now you can just create your own channel, and you have all kinds of comedy happening today. Whether it (comedy) is family-friendly, political, sexual, non-sexual, or mimicry, all of them are finding their own audience.‘Social media hasn’t changed the way I write jokes’Earlier, long-form content was enough. Now, along with a full set, you also have to consistently put out short-form content, reels, shorts, and clips.

Some comedians write specifically keeping reels in mind. I don’t really work like that. I still prefer writing a proper, longer set and then using elements from it for social media. So, social media hasn’t changed the way I write jokes, but it has definitely changed what happens after writing.

The slicing and dicing of material have become very important. From a 12-minute video, we extract at least three to four reels.

So, more thought goes into identifying sharp moments, tighter edits, and strong hooks. While the core writing process remains the same, post-production work has increased significantly.‘Rewriting is important while handling sensitive topics’ What happens when a joke doesn’t resonate with the audience? He says, “On stage, if something doesn’t land, I quickly pivot to a stronger joke to regain momentum. But later, I revisit that weaker bit.

I rarely think the thought itself is bad; it’s the phrasing or the angle that needs work. So, I rewrite it and experiment with timing the next time.” Talking about how he deals with sensitive topics, Amit adds, “You have to focus more on writing and rewriting so that your point is put across without offending anybody. So, there is more craft involved in writing a sensitive set. I talk to a few comedian friends and try to figure out a better way of communicating it.”‘There has been a surge in live performances in India’ Talking about more international singers and comedians performing in India, Amit says, “There has been a sudden surge in terms of live performances in India. It’s not just because of the awareness people have, but also because event producers are ready to push the envelope to get big artistes to perform in India. There is a lot of capital investment involved in getting such big artistes. Now, ticketing companies and event producers are ready to take that risk.

Also, in many tier 2 cities, people are experiencing these big live events for the first time”.