by ASJAD NAZIR
THE Desi Central comedy shows have been playing to packed houses across the country with bright stand-up talents coming together to light up the stage with laughter.
One rising star performing at the events is Kiran Morjaria, who skilfully balances a demanding day job as a doctor with stunning stand-up comedy routines. Kiran first connected to comedy from a young age, including telling jokes at a family gathering and performing stand-up while studying medicine.
Then he broke through onto the national comedy scene by performing at leading venues and today balances treating patients with sharing the healing power of laughter.
Eastern Eye caught up with Kiran to find out more.
How do you balance a medical profession with being a stand-up comedian?
It’s sometimes hard because medicine is long days and comedy is long nights. It’s not unusual to travel two-three hours to a show after working a full day in a hospital. It can be physically and mentally exhausting, but I do it for the love of comedy. Performing in front of huge crowds and making people laugh is a huge adrenaline rush.
What is the experience of touring with Desi Central?
It has been an exciting opportunity and a great new experience. Performing in theatres to
mainly brown audiences has been so different. Playing to Asian audiences is really fun because I can draw on my upbringing – Asian timing, strict parents, random chillies hanging on a string and ice cream tubs that aren’t filled with ice cream.
Do you feel pressure when on the same bills as experienced comedians?
It can sometimes be daunting performing with people who you have only ever seen before on TV, but I thrive off the pressure of performing with more experienced comedians. The only way you can improve is by watching those who have been doing it for years and learning from them. The standard of some of the top comedians is unbelievable, and it’s important to have something to aspire to. In recent years, I have been getting there and performing at some of the biggest comedy clubs in the country. That constant learning is another parallel between stand-up comedy and being a doctor.
Who is your comedy hero?
Russell Peters. The first memory of comedy I have is watching Russell Peters on You-
Tube and everyone copying ‘somebody gonna get a hurt real bad’. It’s amazing to see
an Indian become such a global superstar and he’s still filling arenas worldwide.
How much of your material is drawn from your own personal life?
All of it. My material revolves around growing up as British Asian and working as a junior
doctor in the hospital. I find that the best material is the original material drawn from your own experiences. It tends to be more vivid, entertaining stories and people relate to it. You can tell when someone is telling you a story that actually happened rather than something that is completely made up.
Tell us about something funny that has happened to you?
I’ll save that for the tour. Come and watch me on any of the Desi Central shows and you’ll hear plenty of funny stories. Stories are much better told than read, so reading them here won’t do them any justice.
Has being funny helped you with the ladies?
Since starting comedy, I’ve become engaged – so I guess you can say that it has helped? Comedy helps with confidence and speaking in groups of people, so I can see how it would help with the ladies.
Why do you love being a comedian?
Stand-up comedy is literally just a person with a microphone and the audience. No back-up dancers, no band, nothing else. I love being able to stand up in front of people, and for them to escape the drama of their lives and make them simply laugh. It also provides a really good platform to convey a message, whether it’s a serious one or not. Comedy breaks down all barriers and makes people really come together with laughter. As I said, there’s an adrenaline rush that can only be experienced from performing comedy. Once you start performing, you can’t stop and are always looking for your next hit; the bigger, the better.
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