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For this month’s instalment of our series of interviews with Mumbaikars on their experience of living in the city, we interviewed stand-up comedian Ashish Shakya. Perhaps best known as one-fourth of comedy troupe All India Bakchod, Shakya, 31, was until last year also a humour columnist for the Hindustan Times in which, like at his gigs, he commented on the absurdities of our socio-political lives. Shakya, whose father was part of the Indian navy, spent the initial years of his life in various parts of south and west India until his parents settled in Navi Mumbai when he was ten. Five years ago, he moved from Nerul to Bandra and now lives in Santa Cruz West where is he trying hard not to turn into a hipster. We got Shakya, who is also a popular Twitter celeb, to tell us about his favourite Mumbai spots.
Neighbourhood
Grew up in Navi Mumbai, then moved to the Bandra-Santa Cruz yuppie belt a few years ago. (Do people still say yuppie? I dunno. Let’s bring it back.)
Neighbourhood gems you show off to visitors
In Navi Mumbai, we tend to introduce visitors (and this includes people from “proper” Bombay) to gems like open spaces, greenery and air molecules that are slightly less cancerous than those on the other side of the Vashi bridge. The hills in and around Kharghar are pretty Insta-friendly during the rains.
Neighbourhood haunts you frequent
The Bar Stock Exchange, for its relaxed yet upbeat vibe and also because you’re not paying six million rupees for a drink. Eddie’s Bistro, for a casual dinner and drinks thing that does not involve shots and deafening EDM. Monkey Bar, for managing to find the balance between good bar food, drinks, pricing and ambience. One Street Over, for the food, the service and the smashing cocktails. Those guys do not hold back at all. (On a related note, picklebacks are evil. But amazing.)
A place in the city that has inspired a great joke
All my favourite jokes about the city and its landmarks involve important people (either dead, alive or mythical) so I’m going to refrain from repeating them here on account of a general desire to live.
Best place to get a meal in the city
I’m really bad at food recommendations, but most of my cravings are satisfied between One Street Over, The Fatty Bao, Heng Bok and Le 15 (Patisserie). Next on my pig-out list is Bastian. (Yeah yeah, I’m one polo shirt-pink shorts combo away from being a Bandra cliché.)
Best place to get a drink in in the city
Again, One Street Over. The Bombay Canteen also does a great Old Fashioned, which is my current obsession.
Best place for a roast (beef/pork/chicken) in the city
It’s not a roast but I love the barbecued pork belly at Heng Bok.
Best place to watch a gig/show in the city
Canvas Laugh Club at Palladium plus The Cuckoo Club in Bandra and Tuning Fork in Khar for comedy across genres. After the (Blue) Frog, I guess it’s the Socials (Todi and Khar) for music.
Favourite performance venue
Canvas Laugh Club (formerly The Comedy Store). It’s where the current stand-up scene really took off.
A place you wish had not shut down
None as such. We’re fickle bastards who move on soon enough.
Favourite street food and where you go to get it
Bhurji pao and pao bhaji, and I’ll go to whatever place is closest. It is really difficult to mess that up.
Favourite Bombay book/film/play/musician
Maximum City, which I read in college. Inspired me enough to go out and hunt for dance bars and dancers to write about a la Suketu Mehta and his Mona Lisa. I eventually found a place in Kopar Khairane, dragged along a couple of friends and managed to embarrass myself in front of the staff and multiple bar dancers, all so I could write an honest, awkward piece about it. Totally worth it.
Favourite Mumbai stand-up comic
I really like what Biswa Kalyan Rath and Zakir Khan do, and they’ve been here long enough for me to mark them down as Bombay comics. (Disclaimer: They may not agree with that classification.)
Favourite Mumbai columnist
Anuvab Pal.
Favourite place to go for a drive
Palm Beach Road and the hills and hideaways of Navi Mumbai. Marine Drive and Bandstand at times when they’re bereft of their usual human traffic.
Best view in the city
I believe the gentleman who owns Mannat has the best view possible.
Best place to people watch
Bandstand and Marine Drive. And overhearing conversations at shady bars is always fun.
New Bombay is better than old Bombay because…
It doesn’t inspire claustrophobia.
The word that best describes the city
Compromise.
A local phrase you use frequently
“Hello, Mini Punjab? Do butter chicken roll…” (This usually happens at 3am.)
You know somebody is from this city when…
They quantify commutes in units of time, not distance. A place is not ‘Five kilometres away’, it is always ’15 minutes or six hours depending on the rain’.
The city is unlike any other because…
I can’t imagine living anywhere else and that is both a compliment and a tragedy.
Who is a son of the soil?
Someone who doesn’t correlate respect with their fellow citizens’ place of birth.