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FUNNY BUSINESS

Need a cure for your blues? Take a dose of the best medicine — laughter! We handpick some of ’s best comedy venues that promise to turn your frown upside down.

Text AMANDA D’SOUZA

hen India first began to sit down and take notice of stand-up comedy, the erstwhile Comedy Store at Mumbai’s Palladium Mall was the first to set the stage for budding Wcomedians. Now, with stand-up comics gaining enough popularity to become household names and shoot their own hour-long comedy specials, the scene has truly burst forth for live comedy acts. India now boasts comedy spaces of all kinds. There are comedy clubs that double as recognisable brands (Canvas Laugh Club in Gurugram) to smaller venues (The Biere Club in Bengaluru, The English Tearoom in Chennai among others) which promise you a chance to spot the next big comic. Here's a list of laughter labs that you should check Siberian Art/Shutterstock.com Siberian into when you are visiting these cities.

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THE HABITAT, MUMBAI

atch videos of any major comic’s act on W streaming platforms and chances are, you’ll spot a gigantic ‘H’ right behind them in at least two of them. The ‘H’ in question stands for both humour and the location where it thrives — The Habitat. Formerly known as Tuning Fork, this comedy and music café has evolved into a self-proclaimed home for a range of performers. On any given day, GIGGLE ALL THE WAY: you can catch a variety of funny and not-so-funny The fun doesn’t performances here, ranging from stand-up to spoken stop here. Continue word poetry and acoustic acts. The venue can seat laughing at The up to 50 people. Swing by this multicultural locale Hive, The Cuckoo for an open mic night or two, and buckle up for Club. a chuckle!

Address: 1st Floor, Hotel Unicontinental, 3rd Road, Next to Khar Railway Station, GoAir offers direct flights to Mumbai from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Connect Chennai, Kolkata, New and other cities, as well as convenient Khar (West), Mumbai – 400052 connections. Visit GoAir.in or mobile app for more information.

THAT COMEDY CLUB, BENGALURU

ith traffic jams that can last for days, humour is as much a necessity W in Karnataka’s IT city as is fresh air. Thankfully, That Comedy Club gives you that much-needed break with its list of performances. From Tuesday to Sunday every week, the venue plays host to some of the funniest names in the business, as well as to a sea of comedy hopefuls. If you wish to see the next Marvelous Mrs Maisel, drop by their Koramangala outpost on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when they host open mics. From Thursdays up to Sundays, fans fill up the venue for a chance to spot one of their favourite comics, many of whom used to belong to the Garden City (a list that includes Kanan Gill, Naveen Richard, and more).

Address: 2nd floor, Sherlock's Pub, 46, 4th B Cross Rd, 5th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru – 560034

GIGGLE ALL THE WAY: Bengaluru also has other performance venues that serve comedy as their main course, such as the lovely Urban Solace, BFlat Bar and The Biere Club.

Connect GoAir offers direct flights to Bengaluru from Ahmedabad, Goa, Mumbai, , Lucknow, Patna, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur and other cities, as well as convenient connections. Visit GoAir.in or mobile app for Club That Comedy Habitat; The The Courtesy: Above Photos more information.

82 JULY 2019 GoAir.in Discover CANVAS LAUGH CLUB, GURUGRAM anvas Laugh Club was one of the country’s premier C spaces for live comedy acts, with its Mumbai branch hosting some of the finest names in the biz. Up north, the club continues to rule, conducting top-notch acts at not only its own spaces in Gurugram and Noida, but also at regularly curated events at venues (such as Manhattan Bar Exchange & Brewery) across the National Capital Region (NCR). Canvas Laugh Club is also home to comedy workshops, where you can learn how to make a room full of people laugh at you — intentionally!

Address: Tower B, Building 8, 5 Cyber City, DLF Phase 2, Sector 24, Gurugram – 122002 GIGGLE ALL THE WAY: Canvas Laugh Club also organises Gurugram is approximately 30 km away from comedy events at bars such as The New Delhi. GoAir offers direct flights to New Delhi Connect from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, People & Co., so that you can drink down Hyderabad, Patna, Pune and other cities, as as you indulge in endless laughter. well as convenient connections. Visit GoAir.in or mobile app for more information.

COUNTERCULTURE COMEDY CLUB, CHENNAI

hennai is a city that prides itself on C its efficiency. Carry that attitude into comedy and you’ll get CounterCulture Comedy Club. This 150-seater venue is solely dedicated to the cause of comedy and therefore does not bother with frills such as food, alcohol, kitchens and the like. Much like its name, it goes against the grain and welcomes comics of all stature, frequently providing a stage to local up-and-comers alongside big names. Time your visit and catch one of their shows to find yourself instantly cured of all blues.

Address: 3rd Floor, GIGGLE ALL THE WAY: 16, 1st Cross St, Chennai is full of Cooperative Colony, exciting culture spaces Sri Ram Nagar, GoAir offers that host comedy Connect Alwarpet, Chennai – direct flights nights once or twice a to Chennai from Ahmedabad, 600018 Kannur, Mumbai, Pune week. We are partial and Port Blair, as well as to Backyard, The convenient connections. Visit English Tearoom and GoAir.in or mobile app for

more information. Club Comedy CounterCulture Club; Laugh Courtesy: Canvas Photos Cafe Central.

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