From prank calls on radio to films, Mr Nags to Mr Ramurthy on social media, Danish Sait has built a career by constantly reinventing himself. Now, with his stand-up show, Bengaluru Boy , he is doing something perhaps more personal — stepping on stage as himself. In a candid conversation, Danish talks about how becoming a father inspired the show, confronting his own past, why he chose to keep politics out of his material, and his deep connection with Bengaluru, the city he never wanted to leave.
Because my son is going to watch this show someday, of course, I have my own conscience. Because i don’t really post my personal life on social media, it’s deeply personal also. I didn’t do stand-up all these years because, I felt a cycle of my life had to close before there could be a new beginning. Because they finally get to see the person behind everything, they’ve seen me do, for people who come to the show, it’s a revelation. Because i’m arrogant, it’s not.
I remember when he was born, my mum told me to spend as much time as I could with him. She said, ‘You’ve worked very hard all these years. Since your son will eventually watch this show, did you find yourself scrutinising what you said or where you drew the line?
Your first comedy show in all these years is seeing yourself through your son’s eyes. Is fatherhood at the heart of it? Honestly, the idea itself came about after he was born. You should just sit back now and watch him grow. I took that on without really knowing what it meant. The time I spent at home and around him gave me the perspective to write this show. He is the reason this show exists. With him, I had time on my side, my thoughts by my side and the ability to sit down and think about what my next pivot needed to be. But I’m also cognisant of the fact that this is an entertainment show. With my son, there was suddenly a sense of fruition and also a new start. That made it easier for me to write this show. Yeah, it’s fair to say that. It’s self-aware, honest and sincere. I’ve largely stayed away from a lot of the things people in this business do. I’m not very outgoing; I like being in a shell. That’s just who I am. Nobody really knows who that person is. I feel like that’s what I’m bringing to the audience now. We’ve known each other for so long, and I feel it’s only fair that they get to see this side of me.