Mumbai, Comedian Bharti Singh says she consciously self-censors her comedy and keeps it "clean", primarily keeping her family audience in mind.
Singh, who has been a prominent face on Indian television, said Social Media has created immense pressure on stand-up comedians to constantly produce content which grabs audience attention.
"There's immense pressure on stand-up comedians to create content that will garner the audience's attention. Everyone has a different style of making people laugh, some may resort to cheap jokes, some adhere to clean humour. However, I keep my audience base in mind, which is a family audience," the comedian told PTI in an interview.
"I self-censor things keeping in mind that my mother is going to watch it too. Besides, I don't crack jokes on topics I'm not aware of , I often crack jokes on food, family, etc," she said when asked about cracking jokes on politics and religion.
Reflecting on her career, Singh said she was nervous about comedy and did not have a clear understanding of the craft when she entered the industry after growing up in Amritsar.
She made her TV debut in 2008 with the reality show, "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge", and garnered immense popularity for her childlike persona named 'Lalli'. She was the second runner-up on the show. Later, she appeared on several comedy shows like "Comedy Circus", "The Kapil Sharma Show", "The Khatra Khatra", among others.
"I was very scared in the initial stage of my career. I didn't even have an understanding of doing comedy. I came from Amritsar, from college. It took a little time for me to get started here," she said.
"Over the years, the audience has become like family, and its affection has given her the confidence to continue experimenting with her work," she added.
Singh said she thinks making people laugh is ultimately what she wants her work to achieve. "Laughter is the best medicine, and I'm glad to have got the opportunity to do so," she said.
The comedian, however, is open to acting in films and on OTT shows. She also revealed that she has been working towards a one-hour stand-up comedy show with her husband and Producer Harsh Limbachiyaa.
"I've been toying with the idea of doing a one-hour stand-up comedy show with Harsh on OTT. We are working towards it, and it might take some time," Singh said.
Singh is currently serving as a host with Limbachiyaa on the show, "Indian Game Show", which brings television stars, Social Media Influencers, and entertainment industry personalities into chaotic, funny games.
"The only aim is to entertain people through the show. We think we've come to an amusement park today, and we just want to play. If you see the episodes and the promos, you will see the celebrities simply enjoying the show," she said, adding that much of the humour on the show is spontaneous.
Singh is also working with Limbachiyaa on the show after a gap of five to six years and said their familiarity makes their professional equation relatively effortless and easy.
The show airs on Sony Entertainment channel.
