Comedian Kishen Alex Raj just wants to be a millionaire

INTERVIEW | Former media guy turned corporate communication cum public relations personnel, Kishen Alex Raj, 35, is currently content pursuing his passion as a stand-up comedian.

Those who recall the video of local comedians telling people to go out and vote for the 15th general election might have seen him as one of the comedians featured.

It was an interesting lineup of big names as well as up-and-coming comedians.

“I think it helped the big names more because it showed people they were not so stuck up and were humble,” he said in jest.

As for newcomers, Kishen (above) said being on those videos helped him indirectly because the CEO of the company he was working for personally sent him a message and asked him what he was doing in the video.

“When you are featured with all these comedians, it is a good thing. Whether you can tell a good joke or not is another matter,” he laughs.

On the upside, thanks to the election video, he has gained a few more followers on social media.

Touching on his passion, the father of one has been doing stand-up comedy since 2013.

A cracking start

“I started doing comedy seriously when Crackhouse Comedy Club opened,” said Kishen, who was already known for his rapier-sharp wit among his colleagues and friends.

Then again, it was one thing to be the funny guy in a small group and another to tell a joke in front of strangers.

He admits he is a procrastinator, and it was his wife and friends who pushed him to give stand-up comedy a try.

So he started writing material based on current news and things he read on the internet.

“It started from there, it was a passion. When people ask me why I do it, I tell them I had a tough childhood.”

Kishen’s dad was a former army commando and strict with his children.

However, his dad, Raj Kumar Soman, once headed the photo department of a daily newspaper and those who knew him could attest to the fact that this gruff and sometimes grumpy gentleman also had a wicked sense of humour.

And Kishen acknowledged that he inherited his father's wit.

“He is a very sarcastic person. Sarcasm for me is a form of humour,” he said.

And it turns out Kishen’s young daughter is a budding comedian too.

When he started in 2013, he sourced his jokes based on the happenings around him. Rizal van Geyzel and the late Australian-born comedian Jonathan Atherton were running the comedy club, creating a conducive place for up-and-coming comedians like him to try their luck.

“Politics is an amazing source of jokes. We can connect to political jokes in Malaysia. I would like to make a political joke now but, maybe we leave that one for when I get on stage.

“From politics, it went to race. That said, many draw the line when it comes to racial jokes, but they are fine with being racist. However, of course, when it came to making fun of expatriates and the West, it was free for all,” said Kishen.

Like many comedians, he was upset when Crackhouse got shut down.

“Crackhouse helped shape so many comedians. We were taught and indulged by Atherton," he said.

Kishen added that one must be respectful of the rules and norms of the country one is performing in. At the same time, there are so many things one can base their jokes on without offending anyone.

“What happened to Rizal was quite sad. The only silver lining that came out of it is that more people noticed the comedy scene and it really started growing.”

Balancing comedy and work life

Kishen has taken part in stand-up comedy competitions and open mic nights - where he has fared very well. He also does a lot of corporate gigs.

“I have always thought that comedy is something you must love doing. I always wanted to be a corporate person, be successful and make money.”

He added that he did not see any reason why he should give up his main source of income when he can balance between his day job and comedy.

“There is this guy called Sulaiman Azmil who is a full-time lawyer but also an amazing comedian. He tells really intelligent jokes,” said Kishen.

While he may not be keen to pursue comedy full-time, he noted that many local comedians are excellent in their craft and can sustain themselves full-time.

“I think I can do it but I just don’t want to. I want to be a millionaire,” he explained as to why he is sticking to his corporate job and not taking that big plunge.

Plus, he has always been open about his comedy work with his bosses.

He also gets a lot of support from fellow comedians such as Rizal and Prakash Daniel - who gave him tips to improve.

While some comedians were making videos to upload on social media during the peak of the pandemic, Kishen said: “I was stuck at home trying to keep sane. I had a full-time job, and I also had to be stuck at home with my wife, imagine that.”

He noted the comedians who made their videos at the time had their reasons for doing so, adding: “For me, I like to perform face-to-face with my audience. I like to perform live, although I don’t go on stage as much as I want to.”

He recently performed at the “Short+Sweet Malaysia 2022: Stand-up Comedy and Song” event in October 2022 and came in second.

Due to his success, Kishen is now planning to have his show in the middle of 2023.

“I am a very strong CSR (corporate social responsibility) guy, I want to do the show in a way where most of the proceeds will go to a charity. That is my aim for 2023, as well as doing more corporate shows by the end of the year,” he mentioned.

And he sees no reason why he can’t headline his own show.

“People who can do comedy have their show, people who can’t do comedy also have their show,” he stated.

However, Kishen acknowledged that doing stand-up comedy is hard as he can’t just use a joke that was done by another comedian. A comedian needs to stand out by using their original material.

“Borrowing other comedians' material is considered joke theft and is frowned upon in the industry,” he said.

He pointed out: “A singer can sing a song by another artiste, week after week, but you will still cheer for them. You can’t do that with comedy.”

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