Page 4 of 12 Years
‘We all think that way. But not bad at all for your first show.’
‘That girl,’ I said, ‘I tried crowd work there. Not sure if I should’ve.’
‘That was good,’ Mudit said. ‘You got lucky. She was sporting enough. And the audience liked your spontaneous banter. The James Jain bit was made up on the spot, right?’
I nodded. ‘I hope she’s not too upset.’
‘It’s okay. She’s come to a comedy club. She can’t be that thin-skinned,’ Mudit said. ‘Oh, there she is.’
Mudit pointed to the other end of the bar. Payal stood there, three or four inches over five feet, petite and gorgeous in a black dress. Two guys in formal suits stood with her.
‘She didn’t like the daddy’s-princess comment, I think,’ I said.
‘Let’s ask her. Never hurts to check on the customers,’ Mudit said.
Before I could respond, he pulled me by my hand and made his way to the trio. I followed him along.
‘Did you guys enjoy the show?’ Mudit said, walking up to Payal and her companions.
The three of them turned around to look at us.
‘Hi, I’m Mudit. This is my club. And this is Saket; you just saw him on stage,’ Mudit said.
‘Hi Mudit. And hi Saket,’ one of the men said. ‘We had a great time.’
I tilted my head, keeping it cool.
They introduced themselves. The younger-looking one was
Nimit, and the older one Jagdish. All three of them worked at Blackwater, a major global private equity firm.
‘You sure made Payal famous today,’ Nimit said, smiling.
I turned to Payal. ‘Hi Payal. I came over to say thanks,’ I said.
‘For what?’ Payal’s pleasant voice was neither too high nor too low.
‘For being a sport. And for not getting offended,’ I said.
‘I’ve come here before, and I’ve seen audience roasts. This was tame,’ Payal said.
‘Ouch,’ I said. ‘Clearly, am not that good.’
‘You were pretty good,’ Mudit said, slapping my back. ‘So, Nimit, any investing interest in comedy clubs with an F&B angle?’
‘Ooh, business time,’ I said, pretending to look at my watch.
‘Always,’ Mudit said.
Everyone laughed. As Mudit ushered everyone towards an empty table, I saw Payal clearly for the first time. Could a person’s skin be made of jasmine petals? I tried not to stare.
‘Scalable?’ Nimit was saying to Mudit.
‘Definitely. And scalable to various cities. Would you guys like me to show you the club? I’m planning a restaurant too,’ Mudit said.
‘I have to leave, actually,’ Jagdish said. ‘Nimit can have a look. Bye, guys, see you in office tomorrow.’
After Jagdish left, Mudit turned to Payal and me and said, ‘We’ll return in just ten minutes, okay? Come, Nimit, this way.’
