By Anoka Latchmiah
On a Sunday night at the Graham Hotel, the comedian Jaryd Pillay receives his first ever standing ovation. You may have seen his posters around the streets of Makhanda, they’re hard to miss. Dressed as an Indian Jesus, he holds a glowing curry in his hands. “Because the curry slaps different with silverware,” he describes in the National Arts Festival (NAF) programme.
Pillay is no stranger to the Festival. It is here that he’s had the opportunity to test material on different audiences and curate a set that explores themes of cultural displacement, racial cohabitation and his crisis of identity.
Once I immersed myself in his performance, I was hooked. Who is Pillay? Who is he as a comedian, and what is he like as a person? Pillay began his journey with stand-up comedy at a high school pageant. It was at this pageant where he befriended Nelson De Gouveia, a fellow stand-up comedian, who happened to be the event’s MC. De Gouveia later set up Pillay’s first gig at The Armchair Theatre in Cape Town.
Since then, Pillay’s maintained a love for comedy. He emphasises that his favourite part of the performance is living in the moment and being present – especially when the audience is in tune. The relationship between the comedian and the audience, he says, is of paramount importance to the show. The beauty of this relationship for Pillay is when a punchline lands in just the right way. The laughter and the energy in the room feeds straight back into the performance.
One of the biggest difficulties Pillay faced in his journey with comedy was finding his voice. His career began with a tumultuous period of self-discovery, refined and channelled by his presence on stage. “Comedy is definitely one of those things where you grow over time, and as you grow, your comedy grows,” Pillay adds.
As far as career highlights go, performing stand-up on the Dan Nicholl show and on SABC 2 with The Comedy Mixtape are up there. Fortunately, I witnessed the third highlight of his career; a standing ovation.
When asked about his vision for comedy as a performer, Pillay is uncertain. He is enjoying the momentum at which his career is going and is taking it day by day. “I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and all I know is that as long as I’m around, I’m probably going to be doing stand-up,” laughs Pillay.
The Passion of the Curry is on at The Graham Hotel till 29 June.
