Make Chai Not War Comedy Show Comes to Punch Line San Francisco 7/26
By: Gabrielle Sierra
What do you get, when you put a Hindu, two Muslims and an Indian Jew together in the same room? Lots of laughter, if their names are Rajiv Satyal, Azhar Usman, Hasan Minhaj and Samson Koletkar. The four comedians will bring their cutting-edge, interfaith comedy show Make Chai Not War to San Francisco's Punch Line Comedy Club on July 26. The goal, according to Los Angeles-based Satyal, is to ease religious tensions through humor.
"There would be a lot less trouble in the world if people could learn to not take themselves so seriously, and if we could assume the best about each other," says Satyal, a former Procter & Gamble marketing executive-turned-comedian. "Our show is meant to help people loosen up a bit. We have fun with all religions, including our own. We try to be good-natured, not mean-spirited."Satyal, who has previously opened for such leading comedians as Kevin Nealon, Dave Chappelle, Tim Allen, Kevin James and Russell Peters, developed Make Chai Not War with Chicago-based Azhar Usman, creator of the internationally acclaimed Allah Made Me Funny - The Official Muslim Comedy Tour. Usman says the intention is not to make fun of anyone's religious beliefs. Instead, the jokes and stories are mostly self-deprecating and introspective."I am a believing, practicing Muslim," Usman says. "This, to me, means that I won't do sacrilegious, blasphemous, or heretical material. I will however, make fun of human stupidity, narrow-mindedness, and religious fundamentalism."
Samson Koletkar, who bills himself as the world's only known Indian-Jewish standup comedian, agrees. Although he now lives in San Francisco, Koletkar was born in India, which he believes gives him a unique sense of humor that is perfect for Make Chai Not War."As a first generation immigrant to the USA, my comedy offers a new and refreshing perspective on life, unadulterated by the existing American stereotypes," he says. "I see Make Chai Not War as a platform to promote cross-cultural insights, to put aside our differences and share a laugh together, to make the world see that we are all in this tea-bag together."Make Chai Not War also co-stars comedian Hasan Minhaj, who has appeared on E! Entertainment's Chelsea Lately and is a regular correspondent on Yahoo!'s OMG the 411. In 2009, he was a finalist on NBC's Standup for Diversity and joined the prestigious National College Touring Company.
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