By Heather C Phanwar
Celebrity host and award-winning comedian Nitinn Miranni described Meghalaya as a ‘vibe’ on his third visit to the state, hosting the final day of Me.gong Festival 2023.
The comedian, coming to the state for the third time, jokingly said, “So now I’m married to Meghalaya. I said, ‘Í do’ three times to come back here. From the views, weather, fashion and especially the food for me Meghalaya has always ticked all those boxes. Also, the fact that to the naked eye, it is just so beautiful, its calmness and legacy are inspiring.”
He first came to Meghalaya in 2019 when he sold out his first stand-up comedy show in Shillong. In order to incorporate local references into his shows, he makes an effort to do research before any performance. However, the majority of his acts are spontaneous, which adds more flair to his performance.
Miranni came back in 2021 to host the second edition of the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival. The crowd went into a frenzy when Miranni, who is always full of energy and delights people with his clever humour, appeared on the Me.gong stage to the song Arjan Velli from the hit movie Animal and taking the house down.
Everyone was in awe of his ability to establish an immediate connect with the audience, which was a credit to Miranni’s expertise and skill as a comedian. His hilarious observations on the Khasi language or his spot-on impersonation of Bollywood celebrities like Nana Patekar, Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, and Shah Rukh Khan left the audience in splits. “He is so bloody spontaneous and witty,” said one of the audience members.
Rockski EMG owner Jason Manners said, “We have got Nitinn for two different events at two different places that catered to different crowds. Garo Hills is a totally different location altogether and it was a no-brainer since Nitin always delivered.”
Meghalaya audience
Speaking about the crowd in Garo Hills, he said, “I had such a great time. What a great crowd. I received so much love from everyone. It was so nice and sweet. Exhausting, but a really good experience. The energy of the crowd was something else.”
He added that the last time he was in Shillong he had such a great experience in general. “Meghalaya is a vibe. It is such a cool place,” said the comedian who has performed to packed audiences worldwide.
“It has been epic as usual. What I love about performing in Meghalaya is the fact that everyone is so warm and supportive and they just want to have fun. Getting up on stage to an audience who are genuinely cheering you on is 50 per cent a victory for any artiste,” he added.
“I’m always impressed with the knowledge of global affairs, global scene that the people here have… they know what’s going on. So whatever reference I give, be it on Biden, Shah Rukh or Nana Patekar they get everything. They are more switched on to whatever is trending. They are very well educated but more than educated they are very aware, a great audience to perform before. There are only a few places in India where when I use a Biden or Trump joke, they will know exactly what I am talking about. These are the kinds of crowds that make me feel grateful and blessed for what I am doing,” the stand-up comedian said.
He also added that he has been lucky to have performed to audiences all over the world and the feedback is always great. Despite the weather playing spoilsport on the opening day, it did not dampen anyone’s spirits be it the young or the elderly. He said, “I always bring in good weather in whichever city I perform in and that comes as an assureity when I speak to my event producers. But to be honest, the weather was no match for the amazing enthusiasm of the audience at the Me.gong festival and we rocked it.”
He had interactive sessions with the crowd where at one point during his show he told them to come up on stage to participate in the Me.gong beauty pageant. He made the contestants comfortable despite the language barrier.
First Indian to perform at Statue of Liberty
Speaking about being the first Indian artiste performing at the Statue of Liberty in New York recently, he said, “As soon as I was done with the show. The news went viral. I didn’t think I was the first Indian to perform there. I had to fact-check and luckily for me, it was true. It is quite overwhelming. It was an interesting feeling. It is quite like the highlight of my career. At the same time, I am very calm. I feel very grateful because there were huge personalities who attended the Elite Magazine 50 Most Influential Indians which he hosted. The show had Bollywood celebrities like Gaur Gopal Das, Chef Vikas Khanna, Seema Taparia, Elli Evram, Sarah Todd among others. And they were just appreciative of what I did. Overall, it was surreal. I had a similar feeling when I performed at the Eiffel Tower and London Bridge but something about Statue of Liberty that I cannot explain.”
Miranni, who has worked in the field for more than 15 years, is always so open to conversation and so humble. The comedian is never short of ideas, whether it’s something to make people laugh during his shows or to talk about his accomplishments. Speaking on connections with people, he said, “This can go away anytime. Your stage is your connection with people. You are not doing it because of anything, it’s just that it is how it should be. I have been on the other side of the stage for so many years, people have always been nice to me. Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh, Salman, Hrithik have always been communicative and professional. Why can’t I? That’s where connections are made.”
Competition, struggles in stand-up comedy
He said he does not have competition because he is not competing with anyone and he is the best at it. “Every time I get up on stage, it is with just one intention and that is to make the audience forget their worries and be a reason for their smiles,” Miranni stated.
Like in any industry, he said the struggle is real, but he always reminds himself that “The kite always flies higher against the wind and not with it”. “I am actually against the word struggle and I have replaced that word with “opportunity” and that perspective has really helped me a lot with being patient and calm and letting it pass,” he said.
Inspiration in his line of work
He said for him inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. But in the last few years, he has definitely evolved in terms of understanding and accepting inspiration in its raw form. “I do not anymore come in the way of my own evolution and let myself be inspired without conditions,” the comedian said.
BTS before shows
He said being a comedian one can easily fall into a trap of monotony, so he makes it a point to write at least three new jokes just before getting up on stage and incorporate local references to make it relative. He added, “This exercise always brings up my adrenaline before the show and challenges me to really prove how good a comedian I am. I always say that ‘You become a comedian the minute the joke doesn’t work’ how you come out of that situation is what truly makes one a comedian”.
The comedian always has a few jokes in the beginning of the show to understand the audience and what they are laughing at. But in general, he said, “Thailand impersonations and my bit on decoding relationships always get a huge laugh.”
Future plans/tours
When asked if he is coming back soon, he said, “I really wish I could stay longer. If I didn’t have to be anywhere I would have. I will definitely come back for sure. I am bringing back my comedy tour in 2024 with Rocksi Events so do check the Instagram page for updates”.
He also thanked Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for always being so appreciative of what he does. Miranni also appreciated the Rockski team, Meghalaya Tourism, and the security team for a flawless execution.