Comedy unleashed

Asked what makes him a comedian,his answer is a tad difficult to deconstruct: “An inability to take orders and pursue someone else’s dream.” Then of course,there’s always the prerequisite for every comedian. “And a very quick wit.”

Atherton defines his brand of humour as “honest,irreverent and cynically optimistic”. And where does he derive his material from? The aforementioned wit is evident in his short and staccato answer. “Life.”

Having lived an illustrious life,we can understand why his cup of jokes might be brimming over. Besides a comedian,he is also a filmmaker,a raconteur and an actor. He secured a major role in the HBO production Lion of Africa and was a presenter in Discovery’s show Lonely Planet. He has lived in Central Africa where he worked as a safari guide and got initiated into Uganda’s largest tribe,the Baganda. No doubt his vast experiences have served as grist for the Atherton humour mill.

“Life is one big cosmic joke,” he says. “There’s always something funny. Sometimes I’ll just say something with a group of friends and everyone laughs. Then if I remember it,I’ll use it on stage.” He does not deny that there are some jokes that leave a segment of the audience stone-faced. “Interestingly though that makes those who find it funny appreciate it all the more.”

He describes himself as a multicultural comedian because “culture is simply the icing on a cake which remains essentially the same wherever you go. We are one people,one planet”. And then comes a flash of his habitual wit. “Mind you,I do love icing.”

And then,in Hindi,“Hum sab ek hain.”