The 48-year-old Canadian stand-up star of Indian origin Russell Peters just completed the Delhi chapter of his brand-new Deported World Tour at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
While talking to MAIL TODAY about what he found different in India from the last time he visited, Peter says, “From my first shows here 11 years ago, I was amazed as to how sharp the audiences were. Back then I was worried that they wouldn’t get all my references – but the Indian audiences got all of it. I loved that.”
In a time when stand-up comics are more inclined to delve into humor that touches subjects such as politics and religion, attempting to better the world, Peters continues to stick to what he does best.
His line of work is usually self-deprecating and personal, focusing on topics that most of us would relate to on a daily basis.
Talking about his recent tour that was brought to India by Supermoon, Peters mentions, “The new set is more self-deprecating and personal than my other acts. It’s about where I am at in my life right now. It’s still got its silly moments and my fans seem to be really enjoying it.”
The number of people raising objections on subjects they deem uncomfortable to discuss openly, let alone laugh at, is huge here. Peters’ style has always been tagged ‘racist’ and ‘inappropriate’.
Ask him about being labeled after an outstanding three-decade-long career, and he mentions, “First off, to be ‘racist’ means that you see one race as better than another – and that’s not even close to what I do. I’m definitely racial – but we all are. We all identify as something and everybody has something specific about their race or cultural group that makes them unique, and that’s where I find the funny in everybody.”
He adds, “As far as people being offended; we live in a time where people are looking to be offended. If people are looking to be offended, there’s nothing you can do about that.
“I’m not changing my act for those people. If you’re easily offended you shouldn’t be at a comedy show in the first place.” Though stand-up is what he’s chosen as a career path, Peters’ entertainment portfolio is wider, “I always wanted to be an actor and I really enjoy doing it, but comedy is my calling. It’s what I have to do. I love being on the stage and I miss it if I haven’t done it for a while.”
After his 2017 released CTV/Netflix show The Indian Detective, in which he co-starred with Anupam Kher, the stand-up comedian discusses his upcoming plans to produce a feature, “I loved making that series (The Indian Detective). Anupam was great and I learned a lot from him. We’re now working on a spin-off feature called The Indian Spy; and should start shooting exactly a year from now.”
