Trevor Noah’s India set was all things Indian!

Trevor Noah

How easy is it for a comedian to understand the pulse of a country that he has only rarely visited? Trevor Noah establishes that if you're among the ‘Most influential people in the world' and ‘35 most powerful people in New York media', it's probably not such a mean feat. The Mumbai edition of Noah's three-city India leg was scheduled a long time ago, however, given that a large part of his set comprised his days-old encounters with individuals across the country, Noah made it evident that his knack for finding humour in seemingly innocuous moments coupled with his impeccable comic timing is testimony to his brilliance.

In a span of 75 minutes, Noah discussed all things desi - from asserting that India lacks the physical space to pull off the flamboyant dance sequences that Bollywood has come to be known for, to asserting that Antilia could well be the house of Ambani's 100 staffers instead of the family of six, from his erroneous interpretation of Ganapati being a ‘Gun party', to commenting on how ironic it was that Britain was now being governed by an Indian. Long admired and lauded for using his voice to highlight pertinent issues in society, Noah's September 30 Mumbai gig also threw open the follies in our own society. Among the highlights of his set was a moment-by-moment breakdown of the events that led to the cancellation of his Bengaluru gig, with Noah comically sharing how the wealthy front-row watchers encouraged him to carry on with the set and ignore the woes of those in the back rows who couldn't hear him. ‘They are used to this [treatment],' he recalled being told.

Noah's set may have had minimal crowd work, but each of those interactions was made memorable. Connecting with a front-row audience member who arrived for the Mumbai gig after the Bengaluru shows were cancelled, he playfully chided her for not warning him on social media about the poor choice of venue.

The comedian's political stance has always grabbed the attention of listeners, but it is Noah's modesty that makes him instantly affable. Despite using humour to critique people and situations, he never once attempts to demean his subjects. Walking off the stage at the close of his set, he holds back on noticing the audience rise to its feet in applause, taking a few extra moments to acknowledge and express gratitude for the outpouring of love.

On social media, celebrities who attended the event helmed by BookMyShow, couldn't help but shower praise. Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Raveena Tandon, Milind Soman and Mandira Bedi were among those who turned up to watch him.