Relationsh!t Advice, Raincoats & Assault Case (ft. Raunaq Rajani)

[00:00:02] Hello and welcome to Do I Like It, Ashrojaam, Harbat Babakar. And in this episode of our mini series Knock Knock Who's There, we're talking to the love guru of the Indian stand-up scene. Every episode he sits down with friends and gives us his relationship advice.

[00:00:15] But today I'll try and get some tips for my own life. We'll talk about his comedy influences, writing style, and how he's navigating the funny business into 20-40. So let us welcome to the show, Rana Karajani. Hello, hello, hi, Ranaq. Welcome to The Quint, How You Doing.

[00:00:30] Hi, Prithik. Thanks for having me, man. You are in Bombay, right? Bombay. Yes, correct. How's the awesome? I like being indoors kind of. That says a lot. But yeah, I mean, Bombay is, you gotta say, it does most of the year because what do we have?

[00:00:48] We don't have a great summer. We have some other kids you. This summer's for the first, because you know how it's the worst, because it's like, how he knows what it was, because like April, when it was just starting,

[00:00:59] it was as bad as last year's peak May summer. So yeah, so we got that and then we got the Reigns where it's not, but it should only. No, no, I'm saying how it is in Bombay, right? First it was like Reigns are Reigns.

[00:01:17] So a wide going out unless you absolutely have to, a little bit better job. Well, now this is official. This is like, hey, come on now we got the worst summers as well. So what is your prep for Reigns?

[00:01:35] My prep for Reigns, my prep for the whole year is just going to be looking forward to those three days in January when it's cold. You know the worst part is we don't even get rid of it in December.

[00:01:46] It was like, okay, in January, are you not in Bombay where are you? I'm in Delhi. Okay, I think you guys have worse summers usually but I think. Yeah, yeah, people are 47-48 points here.

[00:02:00] Yeah, you know the worst is when you look when you look at the app and then it tells you, 32 degrees, but feels like 560. Why do you say what it feels like? Do it. So I was talking to Shrija, we and I asked her what's your,

[00:02:17] how many winter clothes do you have? She's that same. Seven. Nice, very nice. Now I want to ask you how many Reigns clothes do you have? If you have a Reigns coat, you have a Hata specialised hat.

[00:02:30] Reigns coats are the most like the correct thing to wear if you don't want to get wet but if you have a nice hat, then Reigns coat is cold. You know what I'm saying? They just look very uncool. You know the best one is the one with the,

[00:02:48] but Jama and the this thing. So when you take it out, you are fully dry but cool in your pants. So I rather, I wear carry on balance and then. The thing is that I carry one of those, so it looks really old English looking on balance. Lampala.

[00:03:07] So it looks like I have a walking stick, you know, a little bit of a gentle men struggle, but then you know because I don't really have any of that. I forget it at different places.

[00:03:18] So every year I buy one nice expensive one and then I lose it. And then because I'm guilty of how much money I spent, I just walk in the Reigns blue. I just walk in the Reigns because so no one can see my tears.

[00:03:30] So I was in Bombay during last July. And I remember my sister buying her, Hela, Hela, Rain coat for me, which is like just one Thela that you, very very very practical. Yes. But you also must have felt like one cool, right? That's the problem.

[00:03:50] And through, or even the colors will get green or orange, as a color. You start that garbage bag, the colors I have seen. I was thinking, I went to an all-boys school and we were just like, it's just bulge, which is each other up every day.

[00:04:09] Okay, so why my core upbringing is that some cool pet dog has a lot of hair. But in the whole, my mom told me that I had to wear a coat on my head. My mom was also saying that, and when I was a kid,

[00:04:25] she was like, why do you wear a dry coat on your head? I'm like, That's what I'm looking for. with your wife, like with family or you have a separate place. I'm in the middle of edits, put it out.

[00:05:16] Then I'm going to do a new trial show taken around the country. So I'll put it out as a special as an R. Let's see. I feel like because I owe it to the art,

[00:05:30] I should give it the justice of putting it up the way I recorded it and know it the piece as a fair age. But also knowing people's attention spans, I might just put a short of versions of it.

[00:05:52] So you know, I did a story recently about comics choosing to opt out of putting their specials on streaming like Netflix and Prime Beach. And it's all order to make it happen. I just wanted to, you know, I just wanted when I read it,

[00:06:10] I was just like, you know, I personally know a lot of people, including myself who haven't voluntarily opted out. I'm like, quality, I have. Hey, but what? Maybe for two-be-fam, maybe I was, maybe I was expensive. Actually this was a big cause of my pandemic depression.

[00:06:30] May pass, especially, in 2019, which was that a deal and I was going to, I had the whole hour written towards everything. And then we went the process of talking about blah blah blah, I'll be cutting it. And then the pandemic happened.

[00:06:44] And then that OTT was like, hey budget cuts. And if you want to say, I guess if all people are doing budget cuts, they will. But OTT is made the most money. Yeah. But yeah, so then, but the big regret throughout

[00:06:58] every day, the pandemic was that when people were there, they were in the audience. So I had to record one video, so I can't do it on YouTube. Now I don't even have a special. I don't even have a video.

[00:07:08] So while a lot of other people were small, putting short to short to videos, you know, they were just one, they were checking. Yeah. Which is why now I'm constantly thinking, I'm especially, I'll just keep a bit started.

[00:07:23] That's why I have. So you were saying I cut you off? Yeah. So I'm assuming that because of comics, then you would have some conversations happening initially right for putting it. Yeah. I was fresh out of comics. I was fresh out of comics.

[00:07:37] And I was 25. I started up when I was like 15, 16. So this was like 10 years ago, this was a game. I finally got. I could finally tour the country where people are coming. I'm not doing, I can finally call the producer and say,

[00:07:54] hey, this is a hotel, Boko, Sam, I'm not there in all of us. Bro, and I was like, whatever money I got, whatever money I got, I feel invincible. You feel like the staff had a calm here. I am on tour. I'm doing college shows.

[00:08:08] I'm doing college shows. I was spending money, left, right, said to, I got mad at that. I was like, we moved on to a rental like a nice locality. Okay, I'm just doing everything. I didn't constantly thinking,

[00:08:22] now especially because I know that it's a big, big, big, big, big, big, big. I'm just doing everything. I didn't constantly thinking, I'm just doing everything. I didn't constantly thinking, because you were a lawyer, is it the first? No, no, I studied law.

[00:08:43] I got on a school and comedy store, I was called Rata, my daughter came here. Okay, which was in Phoenix Mills and I was like, wow, I catch this art form. Whether as a non bomb person, I have no context of what these places are.

[00:09:05] I'm like, I'm not a non bomb person. I'm just talking about it. You don't have to say that. The thing is, it's like, it's like this comedy store where you saw the logo and all the videos in the show videos. That was a nice, you know,

[00:09:25] in a very famous mall in Bombay. So, they got the culture down to India. When I was in school, I wanted to always just go and do this thing called extemporary. Have you heard of extemporary? So, they give you a topic if you're talking,

[00:09:46] like in a few weeks, I'm talking about the market, and then she starts crying. Okay, so, they never let me do it, because they were like, what is not a serious guy or what. It's not a lot of things, it's not a good thing. It's a jackass.

[00:10:01] But I don't know, it's not a conflict because people would say like, my topic for today is productivity. If I had though, this thing was in Newtay, I would do so much more, and I used to watch as I said like, you know, I used to do this,

[00:10:17] you know the basic stage time, okay? So, Medlob Blah, I think the standard of the bank, me in a week mark, about their place, like me to teach how to say, yeah, cool whatever, it's his last year. Like, my school had an auditory.

[00:10:30] auditorium so there was like a little bit of like There was tendency of respecting like dramatic and Like just just stage related culture, right? So so there was a lot of respect around that stage

[00:10:42] And I went and I just walked and then they gave their top to constate and Bro the thing is like I was ready for failure. I wasn't looking at it at this point

[00:10:52] I don't know what stand-up comedy is we didn't have that art form with apart from creating a laughter challenge and what here is this 2009 maybe Never speak with topic pala or me what is your favorite

[00:11:09] Burr or something okay, I don't know what I said I first am making a father topic Yes, it's a cup of glass topic there. So look at first a side talking about the judges He's working professionals who are in school and you know

[00:11:25] of all the top pegs you all thought like this is a good enough top That I said I just started to give photoboards and at this point I am not doing this To get some accolades. Yeah, I'm just doing this for like it's my last year

[00:11:43] This is this is how I show rebellion. This is my previous resistance Okay, I was but we're asking her okay, and what happened was the auditorium Is this filled with kids who are laughing their ass off and the more they are laughing or they're going crazy

[00:12:04] Okay, I think four or five minutes get over and I could up like a Huge applause break and I got first show then auditorium show. Yeah, exactly. Okay, so the thing is I I walk off And I get my sense. I realize and prove it's not like

[00:12:26] Like bagaile in okay cheers Yes, I forgot that I'm going to be in trouble and This obviously another judge is Give me any accolades for the way I spoke Okay But the teacher the English teacher

[00:12:44] Sorry, and she said don't I got one of the speak to you afterwards and she was like a very proper teacher She was like You know the strict proper citstreet talk properly. This is the Queen's English

[00:12:55] She tells me I want I want to meet you later. I said okay, I'm screwed I should have opened my mouth. I have prepared the consequences

[00:13:03] If he let me that then we're going to yeah, yeah, yeah, I beg for this chance and I've been and she meets me They don't After class and then I'm alone in the classroom with her and I'm just ready with my apologies speech

[00:13:16] And I said you know you call those judges that I made fun of them She says what I even saying I just called you because I want to tell you that you are simply yesterday and You know, you should

[00:13:30] You should type to this and I said what like this? What do you call this? This is She's got a There's no whatever She says before I I be also Yeah She tells me

[00:13:44] What you have you heard of this art form stand up and I said I mean I'm via pay lime by Pethora Racer Pitas Videos down look I mean audio so at this point

[00:13:55] I don't even know that Racer is a brown guy because his name is Racer Pitas and I have audio audio office right and his accent and everything and then she says okay Okay, Racer Pitas is a good Not star

[00:14:08] He's an Indian dude now. I was like, what a bother She does me she because we are maim she because me a list of men and she does me go watch all of them on YouTube

[00:14:17] See their faces see how the top and then I started watching and I was just obsessed and I was just See as a kid who was not good at sports or studies or anything that once the first time a teacher told me

[00:14:27] I was something you know, I was just like I have to do this like So you have your society of validation and audience car applaud at the same time because your teachers also impreya An audience to feel like

[00:14:44] So obviously that was a much easier audience because they were also 14-15 euros because then I Then I went to comedy store and tried for years and they were like college But yeah Wait still talking about bird the one there

[00:15:00] I don't know what I was talking about. I had like a lot a lot of shit I spoke for years, but for me And then see the lucky thing for me was I had nothing to lose because I was so young

[00:15:12] I was a group of people who didn't have any self respect So I was just like the guy if a audience could present here and then he could present Then maybe a person can't do anything So

[00:15:23] So I just go because I thought that this is cool to see all these people who are Big names in comedy now like Ten miles there are the things they were growing over us there actually shock cows around

[00:15:39] Very used to drop in sometimes and because it was comedy store from the UK some British comics used to come in there So I just just get to watch all of this EIC I've seen like from day like day one to how they got paying

[00:15:52] A, B, F, C. So I got to witness all of this while I was studying to do first I did Commerce then I did mass media then I did law Then Yeah, then I think when I was like 22 and I was a

[00:16:11] Worked also in my bunch of places because I always thought that it was carau because I like to be here This is like this is like 10 this in the evening. I have to have a serious career because we don't have Sindi business family

[00:16:27] Like my my do my grandfather was a real estate agent when he Came from Pakistan basically Pakistan said that then nothing Because everything got taken away in the partition

[00:16:38] The reason why my grandfather has so much respect and society was because he used to sleep on the footpath and sell people houses Okay, and eventually made himself a house and then became this big alpha Sindi guy and then his

[00:16:55] Poetal that I told you that you're just perzeria America So obviously They were like you know try to always tell me that he all this is not okay You have to be a serious man like everybody else in the family Which I also thought

[00:17:13] But can I bro make those silly me out of here? Oh my like my my father also had an early series so then I also did like after I did a bunch of job like it. I worked in the consulting I worked in I worked at a

[00:17:26] Music company I worked at PR company and I had agency then I worked properly in my dad's Company To be like a real estate agent He'd see how flat they how phone car was sir. I don't even know what they are but can I bro

[00:17:40] As of comment, a good thing to have is Being honest person, but that's the shit thing behind the salesman So I used to just walk around and show people houses I split up your men and clean them up with my car So it's up to you

[00:17:56] Me neither I can't finish Would call me up and say what the It all the client he doesn't want to buy a house anymore So yeah, so eventually I left all of that Because I I've become like

[00:18:12] 21 22 that's when you start becoming serious about what kind of jobs you are doing What I do so when I saw that I was just like you know I see all these people this EIC EME I see all these people girls videos and

[00:18:23] Can these videos if I don't give it a shot how will I ever know So then I just said it's all while I'm young I should just try and then I took a job instead of EIC as a lighter

[00:18:36] And then like every day I would like go to like To my still my I was like okay I'm not taking it very seriously till now. So I can't judge how good a bad a comic guy I'm gonna start from scratch. I'm gonna do everything again and then

[00:18:51] I think by like 23 24 and dropped a video which went viral which was Indian superstitions First came up in the comics tank yeah First came up in the OO conference Especially cancelled away And how did the relationship advice while of a statistic

[00:19:14] Relationships boys bro are you like a very love guru kind of a person who I can get a lot of stuff Even bro more than that I just like you're not with my friends

[00:19:26] I just like that bro and you know there is only times that we are in the green room and the green room is Where for near the show And I just feel like bro people don't have any idea like it's like

[00:19:41] We're sitting in the ring room and we're just talking shit. We're talking shit. We're bullying each other talking crap about like maybe the producer Some comic who just walked out and

[00:19:52] But when just like somebody says a joke there because it's competitive. I said pooch or top of that and it's just funny dude So More than anything you know is just because I wanted to put that into a show So actually relationship has Done well, but like my

[00:20:14] Intention with it was just that I want to take the green room and as you to the stage Or was my record he had have because record cut there And it was just lying in my heart now what happened is that my special got cancelled

[00:20:31] And I had no stand-up videos to put and all the work I was getting Got cancelled and also all the money I spent got cancelled by me Shadiwa they we got little black so yeah, so then I was like okay

[00:20:46] Had run by you that I go to edit and Then people were telling me proof 30 minutes 40 minutes if we do it all right like a con they can't like this But the timing was great proven everyone was just sitting at home. We're nothing

[00:21:02] I put it people saw watching them people. I think I'm my initial act like six seven videos Then people like order I was like Orton here but through zoom picker and gay then when the first lockdown opened with restrictions we shot

[00:21:17] That's it, bro. Then then when more things are opening up more we shot and then yeah, that's how And when did you realize that it had become a format now like you on internet are known as the relationship Actually, I

[00:21:35] Didn't think of it like that. There's a fun and creating something original and fresh and like I Know I can very well say that this is not been chip card from anything And That is the fun for me

[00:21:51] So if it becomes a format it becomes organically because you realize okay We spoke about these things or we did three try to turn that thing but that was boring Show me how it's all true you know if you sit and you're like mirror I say one thing

[00:22:05] I say one thing and then you wait and you plan No, that's no And this is a learning I have only because I was thrown into the ocean and I was asked to swim because I just had this footage of my heart And then they did

[00:22:18] Yeah, then the first Would you be gay idealistic life And what do you find the soundtrack of that show because that is catchy as hell You know I got it. I got it. I mean I take a lot of pride in this story because I

[00:22:34] I say I'm very obsessive with Just try to make something new Okay, so Like I don't want to take off Catchy song or listen to them and yeah, listen. Most of your song top DJ already already already already very famous before my show

[00:22:52] Okay, man nothing like I think like that but when I found it just to say When I found it the video on YouTube had like some 200 views or something I think for him it was just like any other random track amongst

[00:23:06] Okay, but when I found it I'm message him also you call all of us this fits perfectly in my bed drop Yeah Other stories that people write in are real because I have a lot of times question the Yeah

[00:23:28] Yeah, yeah, frankly I don't blame you but do you see why you may Do you see why you may do now the people soft writing first see basically? I always say right two relationships are you out of it But no, it's not that much

[00:23:41] That means they're not even a decent beaming with their full fucking three page pop up problem And do it like sometimes it's like a serious problem Yeah, maybe you better have you not watched to show I'm not helping one person Quite a lot

[00:24:00] Yeah, and like in the lockdown was ice care because like like we can all agree that there was like There was like I mean outside of the health crisis there was also a mental health crisis Everybody was being isolated and shut like that

[00:24:18] People were right like a really dark shit Keep me like say who are you? I'll be as a Karnas at home and I was like you know

[00:24:27] You have and really you have to be in a very bad place to look at a comedy show and think that these people have the And were they anonymous later or they had names and then you would sometimes sometimes anonymous Sometimes people write their names

[00:24:42] But what I would do is I would just CC them to a therapist in other than lots of therapists for volunteering at that time Yeah, he called me if there's anything So I would see I would call and tell people I'll be bro. I'll be

[00:24:57] Thought I lied to him. I think now people are also on this show The cash show don't Don't think that writing something crazy point But everyone said well I get something so I'll explain to him Okay, I hope you're fine. I'm not the guy person. Please see help

[00:25:15] If you want I can connect to someone But that's that's just carry bro. That's just yeah Madhaka. Yeah I mean It's also it's also sad that God what what helplessness that person must be coming from the they have no one to speak to

[00:25:38] But like yeah, so I don't know like I can empathize and I can I can say hey because he Frankly when we are doing the show off You're on red but quite such may go problem with I got to with

[00:25:49] I mean I was pay jokes to the last thing So I can empathize but I'm not expert at dealing with the issue So you should talk to this this this may have to be What's your favorite guest to have on the show?

[00:26:05] That's a great question, but I can't answer it Because not because Jollo favorite guest name Volopo Jannaragi but Jo in sign favorite guest hair O Sir Pichorke better Janga and I don't want that polisher in my life But you have a name in mind

[00:26:27] I have a cup for sure For sure I hope you don't I hope you don't do the diva shit You'd already like Shrijan Neville on the show that because both of them have such unique personalities that yeah This is a man got that disease Yeah, yeah, it's always

[00:26:55] Neville's future also like very good friends of mine in your life So I think that also translates a bit on camera and now that the format is a very successful thing on YouTube Anyone on Instagram and all of these places have you tried Integrating celebrities

[00:27:17] As like film promotions branded stuff in to the What's the vibe on that versus when it's just comics? No, yeah, the vibe is always the same by doing it

[00:27:34] I try to make sure that I tell people that you know the vibe is such that you have to be really good in your life I'm just having a conversation and I want everybody to just keep in fact and not be

[00:27:50] Not be under the pressure of oh god I'm gonna call my buddy. Okay, so we are gonna close in a bit and finally I want to talk about this Case you got in right in Where somebody yeah, I used to make piloted series and

[00:28:10] But have you started like making jokes on your case and both of you are okay? No, it's still in court. It still in court so I'm not I'm not making jokes about Like I'm not going to be that way In my case, say especially

[00:28:27] See the thing about Vidas is Case and his special was that it was It was like people It was it was a national issue And it was like I had a ball out of context like I made a

[00:28:43] So I have to say something in my clarification whereas my case was Because I was a guy in my name. Oh, they're not the same thing. I saw your name trend on something Twitter and all of that

[00:28:57] So miracle like I and this was due when a lot of these FI are against comics were happening I think I'd rest for a while. I mean, you must have been stuck in it Yeah, I mean, what I tell you? I mean I Case

[00:29:14] Case click court. I've never missed a court date shoulder per every time Okay, and I'm the complete you know what? Let's give context to people watching this because they also probably have no clue

[00:29:24] As I said, I got to know that a guy in my name and I got a code of And you know everybody thinks of Like the truth is that man, I'm just a little less a little less a I couldn't see where the

[00:29:37] Everybody's like yeah, yeah, yeah, sure sure But that's it. That's actually a great way to disarm Chashmish people Bro, do a new chashmish logo Please, you're a psychosic Yeah, so

[00:29:54] There was clear evidence that I have not been able to lay off in the on it which is embarrassing But that is why that is why the court case Remained on the topic which was me I Otherwise Yeah

[00:30:15] The good thing that came out of it which which was that I think this year After many years of showing up at court In the metropolitan magistrate the ruling was in my favor Dude there was lawyers your and my age There's they don't me they know my word

[00:30:35] They're all good What are you doing? As I was in my case, Chashmish Okay, if you want me to fight for you bro freedom of speech all the way as it comes up freedom of speech Who's up freedom of speech? What are you saying?

[00:30:47] No, I mean, I have no video yet I said you can't Who's the one who? When you hear the words comic and code you're like huh, what kind of video I'm going to be in this universe case Which is not mine or I'm going to get it

[00:31:04] So I told him, it was a result of the case already It's just a matter of being a person But now at least you have a good network of lawyers If I were to talk about it Dude, I'm actually many sweet lawyers Okay, do you know your court?

[00:31:21] But both of us are very interested in some kind of law Like the reality of things like see I've studied law, but I'm not practice law So I don't understand that we have a lot of them

[00:31:31] We're a little bit of a high so I don't understand the reality of things So every time like but brother, isn't true that it's section five And he's like come down bro You know what happened? I thought Yeah, yeah So do what's what's Your plans for the future

[00:31:50] What's currently happening Other than the show What's currently happening is I'm a special debate again I go down the other one line and I'm going to go on to with my next show Do you have a name for the new special? I have a name

[00:32:09] I haven't named but I think I'm too early in the process because I like the name so much But my whole account is not here You don't understand You don't understand like if you if you like the name run They're but you ended up in by that

[00:32:27] I'm looking for the last draft to end up writing color now It makes no sense I have a name but that name is The name is the direction which I'm writing But you know two or three drafts round the line and it might become something else

[00:32:47] My current hour was called Manchile And those two videos I'll be online to level it I am Yeah, I'm going to be doing my first international tour starting with UK and Europe in November Hopefully pandemic now You can't be told that What is it? What is it?

[00:33:10] No because I heard this with a lot of people where they're like Tour, Bug, Tha, Ticket, Bictu, Githyan, then Hi, I'm Aisa India to go with these things I'm going to cancel my trip Nice do all the best for your show

[00:33:25] The one, the current one and the TBA, Vala show TBA now it's to be an hour Do you do relationship in other cities as well? No, I'm a lot much It's too much work to take three people with me to another city Most people I'm Mumbai

[00:33:45] And those were not oftentimes Come down, right? I'm like, maybe we are doing not So any comment comes They have planned they tell in advance that Hey, I'm in Bombay on these days And I'm in Bouljata I'm in Bouljata, why they are telling me

[00:34:01] And they also can't directly tell me Not that I'm a relationship, I'm just saying So I'm just like Okay, so what you can do I need like one of them Thank you It's actually because you have a show Oh yeah Yeah Yeah, that's where I am right now

[00:34:19] So yeah, so where can people follow you? What's your It's like At Sir Honak Rajani because while the Queen was a live she had night in me This is actually my interest in me So, how's the atmosphere? I was really sorry Seriously Yep Queen of England Well But

[00:34:37] My Actually Philip I'm in Dubai My God That's one of the podcast Great Great thanks a lot Sir Honak Rajani for talking to us Thank you Thank you We all you have a great day, bro Thank you