Eshna Kutty and her trusty hula hoop caught everyone’s attention last year when the 24-year-old’s ‘Genda Phool’ video went viral. Dressed in a saree and sneakers, the Delhi-based dancer conjured lovely shapes out of thin air and performed perfectly-timed twirls to the sounds of ‘Dilli-6’, leaving lakhs of people awestruck. Since then, the young dancer and movement practitioner has continued to challenge the hula hoop’s perception as a plaything - with more viral videos, a hoop-ing course for beginners, and joyous experiments in sound and style.

The first Indian stand-up comedian to release a special on YouTube (at a time when most others were vying for over-the-top or OTT platform deals), Daniel Fernandes has navigated India’s comedy industry largely by his own rules. Over a nearly decade-long career, the comic with a flair for dark humour has experimented with different formats - including a marathon six-hour crowd work show - and introduced a pay-as-you-like model for online comedy content in India. All the while retaining his unique voice, unflinching perspective, and commitment to satire (even if it sometimes led him to controversy). In this hour-long conversation with Art Beat, Fernandes breaks down his writing process, the financial viability of being a stand-up comedian in India, and the pros and cons of releasing a comedy special independently.