Customer Reviews

Indian Invasion Comedy: Civilizing the West

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As someone who is both an Indian-American and a fan of stand-up comedy, I was curious to watch Indian Invasion Comedy. Finally, a DVD showcasing the talents of DesiNation's best.

The DVD starts strong with Rajiv Satyal. Satyal, an Ohioan whose act ranges from growing up in Cincinnati with a desi name, to his "fun-size" lubido dating escapades, proves to be easily the strongest of the comedians, which is especially surprising given the billing of the other comics. His act, mixed with his semi/self-deprecating nerdiness, perfectly captures what it's like to grow up as an Indian-American in the surburban U.S. Additionally, Satyal's act is more universal than the other comics, and contains bits every man/woman can relate to, not just desis. Vidur Kapur proves to be a fresh voice, due to his gay sexuality and Indian-American descent. However, like many of the other comics, his act starts strong and quickly fades. Vijai Nathan was the most disappointing of the comics. Too often, her act appears dumbed-down for the comedy afficionado, and just doesn't contain the level of wit Satyal seems to grasp. And the billing of Mark Saldana as "the best Indian comic in the nation" is simply not true. While he is likeable, Saldana's act contains very little substance and charm.

Overall, the DVD receives high marks for being the first of its kind for the mainstream market. However, beware of the billings on the back cover. Rajiv Satyal outshines the rest of the cast and seems to possess more "staying power" and longevity among his peers, especially when you consider more Indian comics will continue to develop and hit the comedy scene, as well as the long-term evolution of desi comedy. And if you're not sure whether or not to trust a random Amazon reviewer, consider this: Satyal was pegged as one of only two US-based Indian "comics to watch" by none other than Russell Peters - someone whose opinion probably matters most when considering not only the desi comedy field, but the overall stand-up comedy scene.

I had seen number of these comedians perform live in local clubs in Los Angeles, as they toured the country, and I am glad I found this DVD.

I especially love the insightful family comedy of Rajiv Satyal and Vijai Nathan. If you're Indian, then you can definitely relate to cheap parents, and the difficulties of the Indian dating scene. (This probably applies to many minorities!)

Vidur Kapur, the only gay Indian comedian I am aware of, is also very funny as he describes dealing with the conflicts that his sexual orientation and his culture bring into his life.

The least "Indian" of the group is Mark Saldana, and if you have sensitive ears, you may want to skip this chapter due to the language (though you'll miss one of the funniest jokes!).

Dalia seems to be the newcomer of the group, but her quirky brand of comedy kept me laughing. I just wish her part was a bit longer.

The production of the DVD is superb, with stereo sound, and widescreen format.

This is a great comedy tour. If you haven't seen Vijai Nathan perform before, you're in for a treat!

I rented this video after searching for Russell Peters. I am not sure why this video appeared, he is not in the video at all. There are 5 other "comedians", but as another reviewer mentioned, only the last one is even remotely funny. This should be entitled "Indian Open Mic Night" because they are amateurs. It might be slightly funnier if you are from India. Otherwise, it's a complete waste of money.

Also, I used Amazon's "Unbox" software to DL and watch the video. It's choppy and video and audio were out of sync. Still better than Netflix, though.

this was a brilliant comedy show. all these comedians are excellent. i would definitely see them live and highly recommend buying this dvd.

"Indian Invasion Comedy" is a great example of what good stand up comedy should be - social commentary that makes us laugh at ourselves, regardless of ethnicity/

From Vidur Kapur's experiences as a gay Indian-American to Vijai Nathan's views on dating in America and Rajiv Satyal's insight into Indian family life, this DVD was very enjoyable to watch.

The dvd was funny. All the comedians were funny in there own way which made it all the more better. Hopefully there will be another tour.
Peace

This dvd is awesome. No other video has really captured such a diverse group of Indian-American comedians. Each is funny in their own way. I highly recommend viewing!

This is one of the funniest comedy shows I have seen all year. Fabulous Cast!

I saw the show live in Hollywood and the video captures it beautifully. All the comedians were funny, in their different styles.