I’ve always thought comedy was the hardest thing to do, says Rukmini Vijaykumar

Dancer, actor and now a stand-up comic, Rukmini Vijaykumar is all about embracing each day. But how did she transition from going on stage for a dance performance or a theatre production to doing comedy on stage? “I’ve always been one to crack jokes when I’m with my friends. During my last diving trip, I was making jokes, as usual, and my friends pushed me to share my jokes with a wider audience. ‘I can’t believe you’ve not done this yet’, they told me. I think that gave me confidence to do it,” she tells us. Read more about her deep-diving into the world of comedy.

‘I was very nervous before my first stand-up comic act’

‘We’re always telling stories and I don’t think comedy is any different’
Even through jokes, we are telling stories of people in our lives; even in sad or not great things, we see the humorous side. So I decided to make comedy based on things in my life - be it my dance, my travels or things that my friends have told me, in terms of relationships and people they meet. I also talk about being a woman, working, and other things that everyone experiences. These are all stories I share with a bit of comedy.
‘I don’t speak about things that I am not sure of, on the stage’
I largely create work that comes from an emotive place, even when it comes to my dance. It’s more human emotion, all of that. It’s all from a bit of life here and there. But, comedy is comedy, at the end of the day and we don’t take it too seriously. I also don’t talk about things I don’t know. I avoid topics like politics since I’m not too aware of it.
‘I was really nervous before my first stand-up comedy show’
Before a dance show, I don’t get butterflies anymore. It could be a regular show, or me trying out something new. It doesn’t affect me. Even with theatre, it’s all about knowing your lines and the timing of it, among other things. But, before the comedy show, I was really nervous. A comedy show is very different. You have to know exactly when to crack a joke, and you also need to take from what’s around you, from the audience. It’s a bit different and I was a bit scared.
‘The general public in Bengaluru is very keen on art’
In Bengaluru, so many artistes experiment with different themes and the people here are also open to absorbing different forms of art. And the spaces for art are also malleable. The same place that does a classical music show will conduct a rock concert the next time. And there are a multitude of spaces like that that have grown over the last 10 years. These kinds of spaces are opening up audiences’ minds to different types of art. And every single one of them has somehow contributed to this wonderful audience mentality in the city.