The first of two live screenings of Amandeep Jagde’s comedy special, Doggies took place on Friday 31st January at the Nairobi Laugh Bar in front of a sold-out crowd.
With a second live screening scheduled for 15th February at Unseen Theatre, it wouldn’t hurt to dig a little deeper into how the first one went and what the audience should expect at the next one. So, how did it go?
With a diverse crowd, friendly atmosphere and Amandeep playing host, the long-awaited night kicked off in earnest and was split into four segments. The first segment; a live stand-up comedy session that saw comedians Ahmed Mire, Maina Murumba and David Macharia, all of whom are Amandeep’s close friends, take the stage. Their performances set the tone for the rest of the night.
The live screening of Doggies then followed. From the first minute of the 56 minutes and 28 seconds-long project, one could tell why it took so long for it to come out having been recorded in 2023. The project was well-cooked, and this was Amandeep at his best. He took the crowd on a journey, taking his time to ensure that no one was left behind. He expertly tackled serious and non-serious topics alike with an enviable finesse, delving into his family life, growing up as a Kenyan Indian, and giving his two cents on various attitudes and behaviors of Kenyans. He even managed to throw it one of the best-ever written ‘yo mama’ jokes. No closer could have been better.
The penultimate segment was a Q&A where Aman took time to answer questions about the project, his career, and even his weight loss journey from the enthusiastic crowd. This was a highlight of the night as Amandeep unleashed his interactive side, throwing in a few jokes and jibes effortlessly.
Amandeep closed the night with a ‘Jokes That Didn’t Make The Cut’ segment where he played four jokes that had to be left out of the final product and provided reasons why.
A few minutes past 10, everything was done and dusted. Verdict; This was a very well-curated night. It was entertaining and insightful, as well as inspirational – and the fact that this was the first-ever live screening of a comedy special at the Laugh Bar cannot be overlooked.
