Various Stand-Up Comics – Indian Invasion Comedy

It is always cool to discover new comics. I am also a big fan of the buffet style stand-up comedy DVD like Indian Invasion Comedy.

It introduced me to Vidur Kapur, Vijai Nathan, Mark Saldana, Dalia, and Rajiv Satyal. None of these stand-up comics are quite ready for an HBO special but most of them are reliable headliner candidates. Indian Invasion Comedy is a very enjoyable stand-up DVD. The widescreen format makes for a visually pleasing experience.

There is of course a lot of cross-cultural comedy on Indian Invasion Comedy. The material is good stuff and refreshing but at the same time the cultural humor does get a tad wee bit much after 2 or 3 comics and 5 or 6 Indian accent, cheapness, stealing, and 7-11 references so this is a comedy DVD best enjoyed in segments. The segments themselves are quite good and the comics have varied material and styles.

I am not a big fan of the pre-set interview clip that precedes each performance. I am of the gimme the damn set school of stand-up comedy. Fortunately these clips here are only about 10 seconds long The real weak point of this DVD is the comics are good but the audience is before global warming arctic cold and politically sensitive so the comedians have to work it a bit harder than they should.

A neat thing about this stand-up comedy DVD is the menu allows you to choose which comic to watch from the get go instead of having to dig behind the first screen. I started with Mark Saldana (and the dirty part of the show) and this may be why I enjoyed him most. He is the most solid, original, and consistent of the stand-ups on Indian Invasion Comedy. His Indian superheroes and NASCAR sex bits are really good.

Canadian Indian comic Dalia has to overcome the cute factor and is a bit uneven. I already overdosed on brain on drugs commercial jokes ten years ago but her abbreviation bit is absolutely solid and original (though abbreviation can be abbreviated to abbr).

Vijai Nathan is a breath of fresh air stand-up comedy wise. Her material is very original and she knows how to surprise with her punchlines. I especially liked her bit with her mom using commercial tag lines to answer all her daughter’s questions. Her dating material is also very different and excellent.

Vidur Kapur is the one comedian I cannot warm up to on Indian Invasion Comedy. His material does not connect with me. Not only is it all over the place but there is a certain aggressive self-centered woe is me yet I am better than you tone to it that irritates. Still, his Kama sutra bit is good.

The longest set belongs to Rajiv Satyal. He is very good and original. Strangely enough though his autobiographical cross-cultural material is a little better than the other comics’ on Indian Invasion Comedy and he gets the audience to warm up a bit he isn’t as solid and consistent as Mark Saldana or Vijai Nathan. It may be because it could use a bit more structure or because he has, by far, the longest set on this stand-up DVD He does slip in some of the edgiest stuff and elicits the biggest groans and ooohs from the audience.

Indian Invasion Comedy is a good buffet style stand-up DVD. If you are a comedy fan, it is a good introduction to some pretty good comics you probably do not get to see on a regular basis.

Indian Invasion Comedy
Vidur Kapur, Vijai Nathan, Mark Saldana
Dalia, Rajiv Satyal
Directed by Iqbal S. Hans
Produced by Rani Sahota Hans and Iqbal S. Hans
Wrench In The Works Entertainment 2007
110 minutes Widescreen

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