Comedian Khyalli returns to a city stage that made him what he’s today - a man with many feathers in his capFor someone who only studied till class five, then worked his way up as a watchman and then as a mill worker to finally taking to stage at the Plaza Carnival as a comic host, it’s been a long journey for Khyalli. Today, he’s not just one of the country’s leading stand-up comedians but is fast emerging as a bankable sidekick in Bollywood. “Who would have known that a stage I once swept, would one day see me return as a star guest,” Khyalli goes reminiscent. In town to perform on the concluding day of the Chandigarh Carnival, he’s all praise for the city that gave him all the support. “While I did theatre for six years back home in Ganganagar, I never thought I would be a comedian till I was asked to do so for the Plaza Carnival,” tells the actor who won the Laughter Championship on television three years back and since then hasn’t looked back. “I have been a part of all comedy shows since then. There are about a dozen I can list,” says the actor who was also seen in films like ‘Bombay to Goa’ and ‘Singh is King’. “Luckily I have a few more in the pipeline,” says Khyalli listing out upcoming releases. There’s ‘The Party’ followed by ‘Meri Padosan’, ‘One Fine Monday’ and two untitled ones starring Sunny Deol and Govinda. “I have worked hard and the results are showing. I don’t want to be just a comedian but an actor too,” says the man whose name doesn’t really have a story behind it. “It’s not a funny name simply because many people in Rajasthan have such names. But I can tell you it’s a lucky one for me.” We can second that.
