Stand-up Abhishek Upmanyu speaks about his Dubai show on Friday

See him perform live at Mall of the Emirates this weekend

DUBAI BETTER GET ready for a night of laughter as Indian stand-up Abhishek Upmanyu is heading to the city for two shows live on Friday at 6pm and 9pm at The Theatre, Mall of the Emirates. Tickets are priced from Dh75 and are available exclusively on ae.bookmyshow.com. We spoke to the man himself to find out more.
How does it feel to be coming to and performing in Dubai?
I performed two shows in Dubai in 2019. I love the UAE! I spent most of my time in the malls around Dubai. There's so much to see. I definitely think it can take up to a month to fully explore. We also got to swim in the jacuzzi at the Burj Khalifa, which was one of the highlights of my trip.
How long has it been since your last performance? What does it mean to you to be back on stage?
My last show was in March earlier this year, and I was in the middle of a massive tour in the United States. It's unfortunate because you grow up dreaming of selling out at an area in the US, but then a situation like this arises - of course there's no way of foreseeing a pandemic. It's a part of life! Safety should come before everything else. But I'm very excited to be back on stage and here in Dubai, I've missed it thoroughly.
What can you tell us about your set? What can we expect?
The current show is called "Jealous of Sabjiwala" - when I came down in December to perform, the gig was sold out very quickly and we received tons of inquiries to add another date. I know it's a little late but here you go! This is a totally different show to the one I performed last year, so this is all new jokes for you!
Who are your comedy inspirations?
James Acaster - he's an amazing comedian. I'm also fond of Varun Grover who is one of the pioneers of comedy in India.
How did you find the transition from a normal day job in the energy sector to a career in comedy?
It's funny, I have a routine about this in my show where I go into detail, so come check it out on October 2!