Arun Sriram at one of his shows
“Perhaps if I talked about potholes in Kannada, they might get filled,” laughs Arun Sriram, talking about the online pelting he received for his show Whitefield Tamizhan in December last year. Presented in Tamil, it did get its share of flak from language purists.
Now, the CA-turned-standup will be presenting his latest set in Kannada, Tamil and English this weekend. “I know how tolerant the people of Bengaluru are; I am sure they will tolerate my Kannada too,” continues Arun. “I felt the Rajyotsava weekend was an auspicious time to give back to city which is now my home.”
Originally from Chennai, Arun settled down in Bengaluru over 20 years ago and like most people, he began learning Kannada by conversing with auto drivers.
Talking about his move from corporate to comedy, Arun says he has always been considered witty and started out with open mic sessions in 2017. “When a couple of my lines landed, I considered taking my humour from a one-on-one approach to a one-to-many setting.”
Arun Sriram
He credits fellow comics Kenny Sebastian and Praveen Kumar for their guidance in his initial days. “Praveen gave me a copy of Judy Carter’s Comedy Bible which was a game changer. That was three years after I thought I was doing stand up comedy,” he laughs. “It changed the way I approached my writing. My scripts became sharper, tighter, and my sets got better.”
“You believe you’ve arrived when you are given a five-minute slot, quite sure that it is too less until you step on stage and receive silence and quizzical looks in return. My first standup was in 2018, and looking back at the video, I pity the audience more than myself.”
Needless to say, Arun’s scripts are “predominantly observational, self deprecatory and experiential” and he performs in “conversational Indian English,” even when in Chennai with the occasional phrase in Tamil thrown in. “After opening for comics who came from Chennai, I began adding a bit of Tamil to my act and found that when you share the language you think in and speak in, with an audience, there is a natural flow to your speech.”
However, only after he gave a JOSH Talk (a platform for inspiring stories and upskilling opportunities) in Kannada about two years ago, did Arun start mulling over presenting a set in the language. “That talk was a single take, 11-minute speech about my journey in comedy. I felt if I could do it without using a prompt, I could give this a shot as well.”
Arun Sriram and an ISL interpreter at one of his sets
He says the upcoming special, his first standup performance in Kannada, revolves around human emotions. “We have been brought up to believe some emotions are good, while others such as anger, sadness or disgust are bad. However, they are all important, valid and share an important space in our lives. My show touches on the humorous elements of each navarasa or emotion.”
Arun is one of the few standups who performs with an Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter, offering it as an option when he is presenting. “Typically, people who are deaf can only view YouTube videos using subtitles. Training one eye lower to read and the other higher to follow what unfolds can be tiresome. Their cause is close to my heart and I always ask if there is a demand for it at my shows,” he says, adding that the one this weekend will not have an ISL interpreter.
After this show, Arun takes his set to Mumbai the following weekend, where he will present in Tamil and English.
Arun Sriram will be presenting Navarasa in Kannada (3pm), Navarasam in Tamil (5pm) and Epifunny in English (7pm) at Rangasthala on November 2, 2025. Tickets from ₹399 available on Bookmyshow.
Published – October 28, 2025 08:39 pm IST
