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In an email interview, Brand also talks about his earliest memory of making people laugh, one that involves an impression of Frank Spencer. “I was doing it in front of nan, and I was doing it really well. She asked me to do it again and I didn’t do it as well the second time. So, my first good comedy memory is followed by a sad one,” he says.

It requires talent to be in the news for no reason or all the wrong reasons, and 40-year-old Russell Brand seems to have oodles of the latter. From beating a photographer to his divorce with singer Katy Perry, from alleged drug scandals to a Nazi comment during a speech at the GQ Awards in 2013 — controversy seems to be Brand’s best friend. He is now on an India tour, performing stand-up, as part of the Comedy Central Chuckle Festival. After delighting the Delhi audience last night, he performs in Bangalore today, and Mumbai on Sunday.

From his confessional comedy act that revolves around his heroin addiction, to recounting embarrassing moments of his life splashed across tabloids in another performance, and talking about the similarities between him and the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus — Brand’s humour trails many paths. Will his comedy tickle or provoke the sensitive Indian audience? “I won’t be self-censoring. As long as one is polite, and respecting of all cultures and religions, why would you need to censor yourself?” he says.

Ever ready to comment on polarising subjects, Brand promises that he will be presenting his “best material in India”, a country with edgy politics. He adds, “There is always going to be a political edge; how can you avoid politics? When you’re going to a country like India that is experiencing rapid growth, rapid redevelopment, you can’t avoid politics. But I’ve never played in India before. I’m assuming that English is a lot of people’s second language, so I am certainly going to do some things that I am very comfortable with.”

In an email interview, Brand also talks about his earliest memory of making people laugh, one that involves an impression of Frank Spencer. “I was doing it in front of nan, and I was doing it really well. She asked me to do it again and I didn’t do it as well the second time. So, my first good comedy memory is followed by a sad one,” he says.

somya.lakhani@expressindia.com