Pillayboy, Comedy
Venue: Graham Hotel
Next performance: 30 June 16:00
Preview
By Sayuri Persotham
An Indian guy walks into a bar and asks if there’s a free pool table. The bartender says, “Apologies, good sir
– we charge Pillayers.”
Jaryd Pillay, Capetonian comedian, returns to the familiar stages of Makhanda with his latest special: Pillayboy. Real, raw, and downright refreshing, the show explores Pillay’s personal dilemmas from divorced parents to identity crises, and the cultural distance in between. The comedian’s knack for brightening the heaviest of subjects is god-given – and significantly cheaper than therapy. Through self-deprecation and satire, Pillay reframes the South African Indian experience, complete with sugarcane jokes. The accents are colourful, the mockery unforgiving, and Pillay himself is larger than life. In the name of standup comedy, you either love him or love to hate him.
When asked about his aspirations, Pillay said, “I just really want to be the funny Indian comic because I feel like there aren’t that many of us.” A tired sentiment in the 21st century – and yet, Indian faces are still missing, not just from this festival lineup but across South Africa’s wider arts scene. This cultural gap is borne from the ingrained fear of unemployment, automatically placing doctors, engineers, and accountants at the top of the food chain. Become one or marry one – double points to the child who does both. Indian stereotypes are an age-old tradition, after all. Will you be the saving grace or fallen angel of your last name?
Pillay recalls the moment he first professed his love for comedy to his mother: “She slammed the brakes and said, ‘You will do no such thing.’ Nowadays, she denies that ever happening.” A few decent paychecks and an award later, Pillay finally won his mother over. Credit where it’s due, Indian parents truly thrive in the wake of their children’s success. In the comedian’s slightly censored words, “it’s possible – you just really have to want it.”
Pillay’s grasp of Indian culture punctuates his entire set. While not exclusive to any particular audience, his references make us, comedy-indulging Indians, feel seen. Still, he admits: “I’ve always felt like I’m outside of the community.” His proverbial “Mom, I made it” moment? Selling out a theatre in Durban – the heart of the Indian community. “I was representing my culture,” Pillay said. “It was really nice to be embraced and understood.” Come one, come all – the Pillayboy show is for the displaced, the culture vultures, and everyone on the comedic periphery.
