Russell Peters tickles Bengaluru's funny bone on the weekend

Back in the city after five years, Canadian comedian Russell Peters left Bengaluru’s audience in splits on Sunday with his show, Act Your Age. The one-hour special was replete with his trademark observational comedy, crowd work, some clever social commentary and humour that hit close to home.

The Indian-origin comedian, who was brought to India by Zomato Live, began the show by apologising for a hoarse throat, which he then joked was the result of an evening out drinking with businessman Raj Kundra. “This is what happens when you’re 54. You go out drinking one night and you lose your voice!” Peters quipped, before presenting a hilarious take on the generational gap between boomers and Gen Z.

“Gen Z has never had to suffer or struggle, and so they’re making up their own fake struggles,” he remarked, touching upon the popularity and trend of ‘influencers’: “Growing up, I only knew one influencer — my dad’s right hand!”

Bengaluru-based writer Nihal TS, one of the 2,500 attendees, has been an old fan of Peters. “I’ve been watching him for so long. I got so excited when I heard that he’s coming back to the city. It was hilarious, relatable and overall a fun experience,” he told us after the show.

Abhi K, another attendee, loved the bit about generational differences: “It was really funny to watch his take on the difference between boomers, millennial and Gen Z. It’s something that we were all thinking of but never said out loud, and he did it with his jokes. So, it gets easier to swallow the truth pill and accept the generational gap that exists between all of us.”

Sharing her experience of attending the show, marketing professional Khushi R said, “I really missed his signature lines from his old specials, but he never fails to make me laugh. I think a show on justifications about why Gen Z is the way they are, from a boomer himself, is the wake up call we all needed.”