A new comedy show featuring four artistes focuses on what life is like in Dombivali
(From left) Stand-up comedians Dhaval Datar, Anand Subramanian, Uddhav Parab and Sagar Mavani
"You have to cross the Equator if you want to travel from Dombivali to Lower Parel by train," says Sagar Mavani, a comedian who is part of a new stand-up routine called Dudes of Dombivali. "The crowds have also doubled over the past few years. You won't believe it, but my Bluetooth earphones get disconnected because of the body massage I get."
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Those are the sort of subjects that Mavani — along with fellow Dombivalikars Dhaval Datar, Uddhav Parab and Anand Subramanian — will discuss at the show scheduled at a Thane venue this weekend. The idea is to showcase what life in Dombivali is really like, since it remains a neglected extended suburb despite a staggeringly high literacy rate and all the amenities you would expect of a metro. "We have malls, coffee shops, colleges and corporate workers. So why do people still call it a village? Why is the place considered subterranean?" Mavani questions.
Challenging that notion, their jokes will paint a middle-class picture of the area to make it more familiar. "I will talk about all the usual struggles we face, such as having to pay EMIs despite there being no money in the bank. Modiji said he will make India cashless, and he has done just that. Kisi ke bhi jeb mein cash nahin hain; banks ke bhi," Mavani says.
He adds that the idea for the show came from a conversation he had with Datani, who tells us, "Whenever I would head to Bandra or Lower Parel for a show and tell people that I am from Dombivali, they would say, 'Oh, that's a different dimension.' I guess that's because of the fact that it's far to get to. It takes 90 minutes for me to get anywhere in Mumbai for a show. But in a way, that also makes us disciplined. Despite the crowds, it isn't difficult to get in and out of trains since there is a queue system everywhere. People realise that they have to help each other out to keep their sanity intact."
Mavani, however, says that there is still an undeniable level of struggle that people experience, which he will address in his routine. "The problem with the middle class is that people feel as if they have to party even when they have no money. Jo andar se toota hota hain lekin bahar se dikhata nahin hai, usiko middle class kehte hai."
ON March 14, 9 pm
AT Backspace, first floor Lodha Boulevard Mall, Sainath Nagar, Majiwada, Thane.
Log on to bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 199
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