Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Ahir Shah: Dots’ On HBO Max, This British-Indian Comedian Keeps Calm And Carries On
In his debut stand-up comedy particular for HBO Max, Ahir Shah dwells on how his perspective has modified on faith, relationships and his identification as a British-Indian man simply attempting to get by. As Shah wrote on Twitter: “It’s about uncertainty, and was appropriately filmed 14 months late on account of the world collapsing. I hope you prefer it.”
The Gist: Ahir Shah is simply getting into his 30s however has carried out stand-up comedy for half of his life already, taking a number of reveals to the Edinburgh Competition Fringe, together with his two most up-to-date hours receiving nominations for wager present of the pageant. His 2017 present, “Management,” misplaced out to Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette; in 2018, his present, “Duffer,” misplaced out to Rose Matafeo’s Horndog.
In December 2019, HBO Max initially introduced filming of his latest hour, Dots, along with Horndog and still-unfinished orders for specials from Tracy Morgan and John Early. Regardless of the delay in getting Dots earlier than an American viewers, it’s not a pandemic particular. Shah has stored this hour of fabric largely intact from how he carried out it on tour two years in the past, within the earlier than occasions. It finds him at a private crossroads, coping with relationship rejection, attempting to stop smoking however unable to stop vaping, and realizing why faith makes an attempt to reply everybody’s questions on all the things.
What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: Shah appears equal components deep thinker and overthinker on this hour, and but you possibly can’t fairly pigeonhole or categorize him alongside most American comedians who additionally discuss melancholy or psychological well being, and even Indian-American comedians of that kind resembling Aparna Nancherla, and even Indian comedians resembling Vir Das. There’s simply one thing about his explicit intersectional identification that makes him distinctive, at the very least for American audiences in 2021. However as Shah himself jokes, he realizes he’s not that distinctive.
Memorable Jokes: A recurring theme in Shah’s hour can be maybe Britain’s most well-known motto: “Preserve Calm and Carry On.”
However first, he has jokes to ingratiate himself to any audiences who haven’t heard or seen of him prior to now. Akin to noting: “My very own cellphone auto-corrects my identify to the phrase ‘Shit.’” And: “I notice that I sound as if I’ve been colonized by my very own voice.” Or that on trip in Mexico together with his white girlfriend, Mexicans mistook him for considered one of their very own.
His vaping behavior makes an look to exhibit how tough it’s for him to kick that behavior, and serves as a segue for Shah to joke about how his pondering results in melancholy and the way he has been on, off, and now again on antidepressants, in addition to vitamin dietary supplements. “It’s odd to do three issues each day to make your self really feel how different folks presumably simply really feel the entire time.”
Midway by means of the hour, there’s a stable bit concerning the idea of adulting, which he has each a metaphor for (studying to swim) in addition to a fiery real-life instance, because of his household’s Hindu traditions. The latter he punctuates with an extended pause between punchline and tag, as his eyes bug out a bit and dart backwards and forwards throughout the theater. He’ll later go into an act-out dialogue about and with faith as an example how the idea (regardless of the faith) lures in those that search solutions to life’s large questions.
And for anybody who questions India’s custom of organized marriage, Shah has a wake-up name for you youngsters on the market on the relationship apps.
Our Take: There’s a second early within the hour the place Shah realizes that as a comic with a platform and a few recognition, “I now have an amplified voice,” and people folks will be counted on to share their opinions on something, and even trickier, requested for his or her opinions on subjects that handle their whole race, ethnicity or tradition.
Which additionally reminds him of the irony in how white folks can one way or the other differentiate amongst a whole bunch of varieties of white folks, but think about all folks of coloration to exist as one group.
As for Shah, he’s one way or the other comfy or at the very least self-aware sufficient about his personal discomfort and uncertainty to maintain poking enjoyable at himself about all of it.
And he’s assured sufficient to make daring decisions in his ultimate minutes of the hour. He doesn’t ask whether or not to be or to not be, however as a substitute: “How you can crescendo and never merely develop up: That’s the query.” That he follows that with silence, first strolling offstage momentarily to retrieve the microphone stand, then a second time to step away from the mic and permit a recording of himself asking his mother and father for recommendation and knowledge, is bolder nonetheless for a comedy present finale. It’s hardly a crescendo within the literal audible sense.
However then once more, it’s consistent with his nation’s motto.
Our Name: STREAM IT. There was a dearth of high quality new stand-up comedy to be seen, heard and loved this summer season, so when you’re on the lookout for one thing new and completely different, Shah’s right here for you.
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his personal digital newspaper, The Comedian’s Comedian; earlier than that, for precise newspapers. Based mostly in NYC however will journey wherever for the news: Ice cream or information. He additionally tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin tales: The Comedian’s Comedian Presents Final Issues First.
Wach Ahir Shah: Dots on HBO Max
