EDINBURGH 2026: Review: TARANG HARDIKAR: IF I'M NOT WRONG, Pleasance Courtyard
An epic Fringe debut which finds big laughs in the smallest details
Tarang Hardikar’s Edinburgh Fringe debut is an hour of wonderfully curious comedy, in which no thought is too small to escape scrutiny. If I’m Not Wrong is built around Hardikar’s instinct to question absolutely everything, creating a show which is as authentic as it is delightfully unpredictable.
Hardikar has a particular talent for taking an entirely ordinary observation and following it down an increasingly elaborate rabbit hole. Why do people who are late say they are ‘running late’ rather than ‘walking late’? Why has no one ever actually seen a palm tree grow? Hardikar’s theories may not withstand scientific investigation, but they are irresistibly funny.
His debut hour is also deeply personal. Hardikar explores the rules, contradictions and confusing social expectations which have shaped his life. He reflects on childhood memories, his love and hate relationship with talking, anxiety, small talk and the challenge of understanding behaviours which seem entirely normal to others. His attempts to create his own rules and methods for conversation are particularly charming, while his suggestion that crying could be embraced more readily as a way of relieving dysregulation feels justifyably perceptive.
There is a quality of wonder to Hardikar’s thinking. He embraces daydreaming, loves creating pillow forts and embraces the ability to remain happily inside his own head, while simultaneously questioning whether the voice inside his head is his inner monologue, or his future self. Dancing becomes an existential exercise as he attempts to work out how to dance 'normally', concluding that the secret lies in repetition, but repetition with progress.
His stories meander, deviate and occasionally appear to wander off entirely, but this is precisely where the charm lies. Hardikar even acknowledges that his jokes travel like a river, and there is something beautifully apt about the description. The audience is carried along from one seemingly unrelated thought to another, only to discover that the detour has its own comic destination.
There are cultural observations too, including his recollections of growing up in India and the particular terror of receiving a note which needed to be taken home to his parents. His childhood experiences, difficulties with maths, art therapy and his distaste of going outdoors, all become part of a larger exploration of how people learn to navigate a world which does not always make sense.
Hardikar is naturally funny without ever appearing to force the comedy. His physical delivery complements his wonderfully overactive mind, while his willingness to expose his uncertainties gives the show an appealing warmth. There is no polished certainty to his observations because If I’m Not Wrong thrives on curiosity, contradiction and the freedom to keep asking questions.
For a Fringe debut, this is an assured and distinctive hour from a comedian with a genuinely individual voice. Hardikar turns anxiety, childhood memories, cultural contradictions, ball games and the absurdities of everyday language into an affectionate celebration of the wonderfully strange way in which a mind can work.
If I’m Not Wrong is funny, thoughtful, authentic and gloriously meandering. Hardikar truly deserves a big career as this is clever and creative comedy, which feels like a hidden gem.
Tarang Hardikar, If I’m Not Wrong runs at The Pleasance Courtyard, The Attic until 30 Aug (not 17)
Reader Reviews
To post a comment, you must register and login.