A TALENT I’LL WATCH OUT FOR IN THE FUTURE

By Molly Hayes | Molly Hayes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

From what little I’d seen of Shamik Chakrabarti, I knew I could expect dry wit and laid-back narration. He is a new voice in India’s growing comedy scene, and clips of his stand-up have amassed millions of views on social media. I was excited to see why Chakrabarti has gained such popularity when I was going into his new show, Despite Appearances, at Soho Theatre, and I certainly was not disappointed.

Chakrabarti began the show with the necessary ”local jokes” about London, poking fun at men becoming shirtless at just a hint of hot weather, the sheer amount of nipples he saw as a result of this, and more. Ending this section by giving a member of the front row a piece of paper signifying that the local jokes were now over was a touch that I thoroughly appreciated. As the title ‘Despite Appearances suggests, Chakrabarti’s anecdotes and, at times, self-deprecation dispel initial preconceptions about the face of a responsible man you see before you. A highlight for me was his retelling of his encounter with the police after he mistakenly left his brand-new laptop in a tuk-tuk in Mumbai. His observational humour about Indian life and culture is essential to his material and left me cracking up. I found it hilarious as he explained becoming increasingly involved with the police investigation into his missing laptop, recommending that it’s better to be on the police’s side of the front door when they knock.

Chakrabarti’s quick wit shines during audience interactions. My favourite examples were him calling out one audience member whose alarm sounded and asking another not to film right as he was about to repeat an online sexbot’s lewd Instagram comment. His ability to think of sharp comebacks was impressive and a delight to watch. Chakrabarti’s strong comedic control clearly showed him to be an expert at his craft. Throughout his show, there was barely a moment when I wasn’t chuckling, and plenty of audience members couldn’t contain their laughter. He’ll definitely be a talent I’ll watch out for in the future. He mentioned that there are still tickets available for his shows on Friday 2nd May, and Saturday 3rd May, so I would recommend attending if you can!

Shamik Chakrabarti: Despite Appearances is running at Soho Theatre until Saturday 3 May.

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