Runi Talwar

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Friday 20th September 2024

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times - and this time we welcome a man who needs no introduction, as the name of the show does it for him.

"The show is called Runi Talwar as 'Runi Talwar' in Runi Talwar: The Runi Talwar Story," Runi Talwar explains. "Mainly because I think that's a very funny name, but also because I was once told I had to get my name out there more and this seemed like a good way to do it."

The India-born, New Zealand-raised, now London-based comic will be off to Wales on 5th October for the Aberystwyth Comedy Festival, after successfully negotiating a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe last month. He gets around.

"The show is, unsurprisingly, the story of my life," says the comic. "When I was a baby, a Hindu priest told my mother that I was destined to be an unlucky person. Unfortunately for me, she believed him, immediately proving him right.

"Thus began a life-long cycle of being told that I'm unlucky, thinking to myself 'how unlucky can I really be?', and then very soon after, also thinking to myself 'oh, that unlucky'. It's a show about unluck and misfortune, and our attitudes towards it, told through the lens of a lovely guy who just so happens to also be cursed.

The question is, what on earth do you do next, after telling the full life story already? Talwar had worked on this show "for about a year, not including the previous 31 years I spent doing exhaustive research for it. In terms of what comes next, the show seems to have really resonated with people (and is now officially award-nominated, which is lovely, if off-brand for what I'm trying to go for here) - so hopefully I'll be able to tour it a little bit."

For now, though, back to that first ever show.

First gig?

I actually remember my first gig fairly well - it was at the University of Sydney, as part of a weekly comedy gig for students run by the brilliant Aussie comedian/writer, James Colley. It was an afternoon gig in front of a very warm and friendly student crowd, therefore in NO way, shape or form preparing me for what gigging on the open mic scene is actually like.

I remember being incredibly nervous before it - luckily, it went well, and I didn't bomb. I then proceeded to think that comedy is a piece of piss and decided to write an entire new five for my second gig, which was a late-night gig in the basement of a pub, and went so bad I took a six month break from gigging/comedy/being happy in general.

Favourite show, ever?

It would be incredibly basic of me to say my first sell-out show of the Edinburgh run was my favourite/best-ever gig, so I won't say that. I'm not basic, and it's incredibly rude of you to suggest that I am.

I once did a gig at a legendary long-standing London club, which I won't name, because that would be free publicity and I'm still waiting on 2025 dates from them, where it felt like every single breath I took got a laugh. I've been chasing that high ever since.

Worst gig?

An easy one to answer - in my first year of comedy, I stupidly agreed to do a stand-up set at a friend's birthday party. Her party was 'street entertainment' themed (think close-up magic, busking, two drunk blokes fighting outside a kebab shop, etc), so naturally she had to include comedy, a medium which literally never takes place on a street.

I agreed to do a 20 minute set (about 15 more than I actually had) to the gathered crowd, who all sat in a large semi-circle around the edges of the room and proceeded to not laugh the entire time. It was humiliating, and what was worse, I never learned how the guy knew I had an eight of clubs.

Which one person influenced your comedy life most significantly?

This is impossible to answer, since there's way more than one person who has influenced my comedy life. So I'll go for the wholesome/boring answer and say my partner, without whom I wouldn't be here today (she's my visa sponsor).

And who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business?

Literally everyone who doesn't respond to my emails (unless you're reading this and yourself haven't responded to something I've sent, in which case, no rush!)

Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't?

Very early on, I wrote a joke about a TV guide listing (yes, I know, shut up) about the Disney Channel cartoon American Dragon: Jake Long. The listing described the show as being about 'the experiences of a young Asian-American boy as he learns to navigate life while balancing both his Chinese heritage and his American identity'.

A beautiful, worthy sentiment, that also completely ignores that the boy in question spends every episode turning into a literal fucking dragon.

I thought it was a funny thing to talk about, the audience did not agree, I never did it again (and swore off Disney Channel cartoons for life).

Your most memorable moment at this year's Fringe?

Getting nominated for an award (Best Newcomer, ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards) was a strong contender here, but I'll be honest, the only thing I really remember from the Fringe is the hours and hours I spent attaching stickers to my flyers.

Every day, I would print out a batch of stickers, slowly cut them up to be the perfect size, attach each one to an individual flyer, then hand those flyers out, only to see them immediately abandoned on a bench or table. And then I would do it again the next day. My mind is more sticker than human now. I see them in my dreams.

Any reviews, heckles or post-gig reactions stick in the mind?

All of the positive ones stick out, of course, like the one person who loved the show so much they came back the next day with their cousin (I have a great cousin bit).

During my very last show of the run, an audience member loudly spoke up in the middle of the show to say "I have input!", something which has literally never happened to me before. I chalked it up to 'end of school' vibes and let them continue, and let me tell you, dear reader, they did not have input.

How do you feel about where your career is at, right now?

A great question that I would love the answer to myself actually. I think my career is in a good place (best it's ever been, in fact), which I am happy and grateful for, but happiness is fleeting and is usually one unanswered email away from deserting me entirely, so I'm just enjoying it while it lasts.

Runi Talwar as 'Runi Talwar' in Runi Talwar: The Runi Talwar Story is at Y Cŵps (The Coopers Arms) on October 5 as part of the Aberystwyth Comedy Festival. Tickets