DeadAnt Live CEO Ravina Rawal Announces American Comedian Anthony Jeselnik’s Debut India Tour in Exclusive Interview

DeadAnt Live has proven themselves as one among a handful of organisations and collectives that is sincerely dedicated towards making a memorable impact in the comedy space of India. Earlier this year, they delighted fans even more by launching The DeadAnt Loop, an initiative aimed at introducing top-notch international live comedy to India. Having previously brought Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss for a multi-city India tour, the much-awaited second edition features renowned international stand-up comedian Anthony Jeselnik, famous for his distinctive dark and provocative humor.

In fact, provocative is a huge understatement for those familiar with Jeselnik’s material.

The American comedian and writer’s first-ever performance in India, the Bones and All tour—presented by DeadAnt Live—will be held in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru from August 8th to 10th, 2024.

Jeselnik is a stand-up comedian currently featured on his podcast, The Jeselnik And Rosenthal Vanity Project, with co-host Gregg Rosenthal. His latest stand-up special, Fire in the Maternity Ward, premiered on Netflix to critical acclaim and, equal parts, inevitable shock and awe. The 45-year-old also created, hosted, and produced the series Good Talk and The Jeselnik Offensive on Comedy Central. He has been a notable presence on multiple Comedy Central roasts, including The Roast of Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen. Additionally, Anthony wrote and performed the stand-up specials Thoughts and Prayers on Netflix and Caligula on Comedy Central, which followed his debut comedy album Shakespeare for Comedy Central Records. He has performed on Conan, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and was a writer and the first stand-up comic to appear on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone India, CEO & Founder of DeadAnt Live, Ravina Rawal, shared her thoughts on the blossoming comedy atmosphere in India and how DeadAnt is attempting to cement its role as a frontrunner in this industry.

Rolling Stone India: It’s no surprise that DeadAnt has quickly become a major player in India’s comedy scene. Can you tell me what inspired you to create DeadAnt, and what were some of the key objectives and strategies you had in mind to bridge the gap between the international and domestic comedy landscapes?

RR: Many claimed India’s comedy scene was booming, yet there was no centralized source for information. While music had multiple publications and blogs, comedy lacked such platforms. Fans had to follow individual comedians, making it hard to discover new talent. My tenure working at Comedy Central sparked my desire to create a dedicated comedy publication. After extensive research, I realized the timing was perfect. Thus, DeadAnt was born as a digital platform to chronicle and support the comedy evolution in India.

Daniel Sloss’s tour with The Loop marked a major milestone for DeadAnt Live. What were some of the challenges and triumphs in bringing such a prominent international artist to India, and what can fans look forward to in the next edition of The Loop?

RR: I aim to foster an exciting cultural exchange, allowing Indian comedians to perform abroad and bringing international comedians to India. This will highlight comedy’s potential for impact and change, reflecting global conversations in this unique art form. My deep involvement with Indian comedians since the scene’s inception and my international connections, especially from my time at Comedy Central, give us access to a vast network of artists. DeadAnt’s journalistic approach has garnered international attention, enabling us to engage with global talent. When we do cover international things that are relevant to India, for example, you have people changing the conversation or having hot debates, but those are global conversations, right? So whether it’s Chappelle or Hannah Gatsby on two ends of the spectrum, or even Burnham challenging art in general, you have conversations that are relevant to India as well. And so when we cover that, I think, because of the way in which we the approach that we have to talking about these things, and the network of culture critics and journalists that sort of work with us, we have got their attention. Our strong relationships and ethical approach help us curate powerful events and IPs, investing in the long-term growth of comedy.

The first edition of the Laughing Dead Comedy Festival was a significant success. Can you share some insights into the planning and execution of the festival, and what were some of the most memorable moments for you?

RR: I think that being forced to wait for so long to start events meant that I wanted to do something that was going to be really making a mark. I wanted it to be in the heart of the city. I wanted it to be like a weekend where people could just come in and, you know, spend the entire weekend there with all kinds of shows on offer. I wanted a big headliner. I wanted to be able to create a space where comedians can come together under one roof again, because that I noticed in the spaces is not happening so much anymore. And I wanted the the idea that international Indian comedians can perform together as well. Because normally you have international comedians coming and they do solo shows, and then they kind of, you know, head back. And I wanted there to be a place where this could be like a cool way to mix it, and also have a discovery stage where open mics and people who are struggling to find stage 10 have an opportunity to be noticed and to be picked up by producers or talent managers or whatever it is. To Be able to highlight the most exciting voices of India in that year. I just spent two days calling up every artist that I know could be like, we have to do this together. Come on, let’s make the festival happen. And there were a lot of artists who were very kind and very, very supportive and were just like, okay, you know what, if somebody’s going to get the a festival right? Finally, it might be you. So we’re happy to kind of bet on this with you. I think a lot of their feedback also was just like, “man, we haven’t come together like this in a while” and that was so cool. It was community on all fronts, you know, from the fans to the artists to what their aunt was doing – with everybody. And that in a world like today is important and valuable and fun.

On how DeadAnt Live’s newest edition of The Loop will be offering comedy fans an exciting new avenue to look forward to, Ravina Rawal said that “The Loop is incredibly important to us at DeadAnt Live. It aims to bridge the gap between comedy culture in India and abroad by introducing foreign, English-speaking comedians to audiences here. We look forward to presenting the supremely talented master of misdirection and the ‘dark prince of comedy’ Anthony Jeselnik on a three-city Loop here. We are confident that his performance will make for an unforgettable evening, and for all the right reasons.”

Regarding his debut tour in India, Jeselnik has said “I’m excited to announce my first comedy tour in India as it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go and perform. Bones and All is all new material and hope you enjoy. See you in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru this August”.

Tickets to Jeselnik’s tour are available to buy via BookMyShow.