The Goan Comedy Cartel by Navin Noronha and Abhi Tundel, is working to build a stronger stand-up scene in Goa while giving new performers a platform
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ
The tagline of The Goan Comedy Cartel reads, ‘Comedy in Goa for Goa’, a line its founders, comedian Navin Noronha and filmmaker Abhi Tundel, are intent on backing with their work.
A stand-up comedian with over a decade of experience, Noronha has performed in Goa over the years. And what he noticed was “a real thirst for comedy in Goa”. “Most of the time, comedians from outside would come, do a show, and leave. But there wasn’t an inbuilt scene for local comedians to emerge,” he says.
In contrast, Mumbai offered a more active circuit, where frequent open mics helped him develop his craft.
He also points out that with most performers coming from outside, local issues rarely found their way into sets. So when Noronha and Tundel moved to Goa in November last year, they decided to address this by starting The Goan Comedy Cartel.
“Our idea is to grow local voices and create a homegrown Goan scene. We also have established comedians like Daniel Fernandes and Azeem Banatwalla, who are based here and perform with us,” says Noronha. He adds that he chose the name Goan Comedy Cartel because “I look like Pablo Escobar”. “I’m chubby, I keep a moustache and I’m obsessed with ‘Narcos’,” he says with a laugh.
One of their segments is Queer Rated Comedy, an idea that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. “When Zoom comedy shows took off during the lockdown, I connected with comics across India and that’s how we discovered many queer comedians. We now have
around 35,” says Noronha. For an upcoming sundowner event, the group will also raise funds for transgender persons affected by the recent transgender bill.
Noronha also conducts comedy writing workshops, with some participants already performing at open mics. “They run their jokes past me and I guide them based on my experience,” he says.
Having hosted shows across Goa, from Saligao to Panaji and parts of the south, Noronha notes that audiences vary by location. “We adapt our sets to the crowd,” he says, adding that Goan audiences tend to be generous compared to those in some other cities.
He admits that logistics is a challenge, as not all venues are suited for stand-up. He says, “In some cases, we’ve had to rent sound equipment. But that’s part of the process. The long-term goal is to have our own venue designed specifically for stand-up.”
The duo also plans to host a comedy festival by the end of the year, and hope to include acts from Europe in the line-up.
