Will the fact that Sachin Kumarendran reminds me of the guy that never fancied me back in school prevent me from writing a review he deserves? No. I intend to use this opportunity to prove my journalistic integrity is bulletproof.
So I will begrudgingly admit that this guy is really funny, and that I thankfully teared up from laughter, not heartbreak this time. Though Sachin is well aware he would fare much better if he did make the audience shed a tear from heartbreak— hearing about a moving, triumphant story wherein a South Asian British kid makes his way in the UK. That stuff is award winning. But he quite literally does the opposite. Refusing to be another poster child for South Asian British comedy, Sachin talks about whatever he wants to talk about.
The comedian lays out in depth, why in fact he isn’t a poster child, exposing the lies and rouses he has managed to pull off in his life. His stories are told with what I can only describe as highly emotive and expressive deadpan. Between these tales of deception are moments of masterful audience interaction that proves the comedian’s funny cortex is lethally responsive. By the end, Sachin manages to pull off jokes that are only possible if the audience member is connected and engaged throughout. It’s laughs growing on laughs as lies grow on lies. As an audience member I can’t separate embellishment from reality, as he constantly reminds us, but in the end it really doesn’t matter when you’re thoroughly entertained.
In a fight not to pander to the expectations put on him and the other acts of colour at the Fringe, he fought a bigger battle. He proves we can only be equal once all races can talk about their problematic assholes, and the fact that they are shameless liars as much as any Tom, Dick and Harry. In Sachin’s refusal to be moving, he managed to move.
Sachin Kumarendran: Deceit
18:00 @Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just Out of the BoxAug 4-13, 15-27
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sachin-kumarendran-deceit
