“I’m Dr. John Paul — a dentist by profession and a stand-up comic by choice. I was born and raised in Sangareddy. Back then, it was a quiet small town. Life was simple — we’d spend time around farms, go for long walks, and often head to the Manjeera Dam. That’s where I learnt to swim.
Hyderabad was always nearby, and I’ve been visiting the city since my childhood. I’ve seen Hyderabad grow — from the days of green double-decker RTC buses in the ’90s to the metro trains today. I still remember when Kukatpally was just a village on the edge of the city. During my intermediate days, I’d go on rides with my dad on his Vespa — to Gandipet, Chilkur Temple, Himayat Sagar, and Qutub Shahi Tombs. We’d even go all the way to Al-Saba in Gachibowli or Capri in Chandanagar — just to have a cup of irani chai.
Like most of the families, the two career options were either Engineering or Medicine. I didn’t get into MBBS but made it into dental college. I’ve been practising dentistry for the past 12 years. While dentistry has been steady, I always had this interest in stand-up comedy. I’d watch a lot of shows online in my free time. Over time, I started feeling — maybe I could do this too.
So, I started digging deep — watched videos, read posts on Quora and Reddit about how to write jokes, how to start, where open mics happen. Slowly, I began writing my own material and performing. What started as a hobby slowly became something I looked forward to every week. I loved the process of writing jokes, trying them out, seeing what worked, and refining them further.
My comedy comes from observation. It’s usually about me and the people I meet. I notice the way people behave, speak, argue — even in the most random conversations, I try to spot something humorous. I make a note, build on it, and test it on stage. That’s how most of my sets take shape.
But comedy is not just about writing a few jokes and repeating them everywhere. You have to stay relevant. You can’t depend on old material. If you’re not writing, not performing new sets, you slowly fade away. It takes a lot of time and effort — writing, editing, rehearsing, performing — again and again. That’s the only way to grow.
Before every show, I prefer to stay quiet. I don’t check my phone. I just stay calm and try to stay present — that helps me focus before going on stage.
My family knows I do stand-up, but they’re not exactly sure what kind of material I perform. Even if my videos are out, they don’t always watch them — usually, friends and relatives end up showing them. But they don’t interfere much. My friends are very supportive — they watch my shows, give feedback, and are honest about what works and what doesn’t.
A lot of people assume stand-up comedians are always joking around, always cracking one-liners. But we have our own struggles too. We deal with life like anyone else. Not everything is a punchline. There are serious moments as well.
Right now, I’m working on a couple of new sets — mostly around friendships and relationships. My solo show is called Paisal Important. It’s been received quite well, and I’m hoping to take it to more stages soon.”