Funnyman Sandesh Johnny and friends set out on a road trip to perform in 27 cities

“It was a crazy random idea, but we are still sticking to it,” says Hyderabad-based comedian Sandesh Johnny. He is talking about the one-month tour across the country he has embarked on with fellow comedians Rajasekhar Mamidanna and Bhavneet Singh.

Starting from Bengaluru on February 7, the trio is all set to cover 27 cities within the period, performing at 27 different venues. The tour is called the ‘Travelling Comedians’.

“All the proceeds from the show will be given to an identified NGO at each place. We are not making any profits out of it,” explains Sandesh.

Sandesh, who recently left his job at Amazon last month, to pursue a full-time career in comedy, says that he will never get an opportunity like this again to perform in so many different cities in a month.

Chasing laughter

Hailing from Hyderabad, Sandesh spent his childhood in Manali, where his father, a pastor, was running a church.

When he shifted to Hyderabad for higher studies, he began watching comedy shows, and began to love them. “I wanted to try my hand at comedy too, but never thought I would actually do it,” he says.

As a hobby, Sandesh started attending open mic events, where amateur comedians performed for a select audience. He says that it was only after his second or third performance that he began getting some laughs from the audience. Sandesh, whose kind of jokes is usually on his personal stories said in one of shows, “ I went solo travelling because they say when you travel solo you discover yourself and in two days I discovered I'm out of money.”

He met Rajasekhar and Bhavneet at an open mike night in 2016. The three of them bonded and then started performing together. Sandesh kept working on his comedy routines for a year, and after eight months he decided that he wanted to pursue a career in comedy. Two years later, he quit his job at Amazon.

Laughter is the best medicine

Sandesh says that the comedy scene today is very different from what it used to be. Along with popular comedians like Kenny Sebastian, Kanan Gill, and Biswa Kalyan Rath, there are many comedians who are as talented as the popular ones.

Popularity in comedy, according to Sandesh, happens when you get on a TV show or if your YouTube video goes viral.

“If your video does not have a million views, you cannot fill seats. No one knows you unless you have a digital presence,” he adds.

He says that the challenge for upcoming comedians today lies in selling tickets. “To sell tickets, you need a good video, and for a good video, you need to sell tickets,” says Sandesh, of the vicious circle that spells popularity in the comedy circuit. He plans to release a few videos this year.

But these are exciting times for people in the business, with many cities like Hyderabad and Chennai launching their own comedy clubs. According to him, these comedy clubs will help upcoming talent in the comedy space as people will come to watch the show anyway, irrespective of the artiste.

Chuckles for charity

Rajasekhar came up with the idea of going on a road trip.

When Bhavneet heard of the plan, he left his job at Radio Mirchi to join them and pursue a career in comedy.

After two weeks of planning, and with a zero budget, the trio set out on their journey last week.

“The only sponsor we have right now is Zoomcar, which has given us a car to use. We are taking care of all the other things, like petrol, accommodation, etc,” explains Sandesh.

They are in touch with the NGOs in every place that they are performing. “We have tied up with a goodwill ambassador in every city, and all the money from the tickets will go for charity. We will be calling them to the show, and shooting a video with them. The videos will make people aware of the NGO and its story,” he adds.

The trio will be performing in a variety of venues, such as restaurants and cafes, with around 30-50 people in the audience.

Sandesh says he has nothing to lose and everything to gain from a life-changing experience like this. “I don’t have a job to go to in the morning now. I have the freedom to travel and pursue a career in comedy. I hope this tour will give me some exposure,” he adds.

But it will be a busy schedule, with the agenda leaving no room for preparation. Sandesh and co expect fully well to be exhausted at the end of it all.Organising the trip was no laughing matter either, from making calls to arranging venues and speaking to NGOs. But Sandesh notes that a lot of their friends have helped them and trusted them as they believed in their cause.

The trio has set off from Bengaluru and will visit cities across India like Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata and Hyderabad, among others, and wrap up their comedy tour on March 9.

Watch out for their schedule in BookMyShow.