Comedian Shaun Majumder would be the first to tell you that acting and standup comedy are not easy gigs.
In standup, you stand alone in a crowd with a bright light shining on you knowing that there’s an expectation in the room that you’re going to make them laugh. And if you don’t – if you die – you die alone.
And in acting, you’re often competing with several dozen would-be actors for every role.
Despite the adults around him telling him there was no future in acting, Shaun Majumder decided during his university years to follow his passion. He abandoned his safety net and went for it. That led to a career as a standup comedian and host on YTV and, in 2003, a role on CBC’s Just For Laughs.
Majumder looks back now to see that he has been entertaining audiences for the last twenty-plus years. He’s accumulated an impressive collection of credits that include his work as Detective Vik Mahajan in ABC’s critically acclaimed crime drama, Detroit 1-8-7, the role of Andrew Palmer on NBC’s The Firm (starring alongside Josh Lucas and Juliette Lewis), and as Hassan Numair on FOX’s 24.
His comedy roles include starring in the sketch comedy series Cedric The Entertainer Presents, the Farrelly Brothers’ Unhitched, ABC’s Married Not Dead, Nevermind Nirvana, and CBC’s Hatching Matching and Dispatching.
These days, Majumder’s comedy has a bit of an edge.
“You can think of this show as a show with jokes that white people don’t understand but they laugh because they don’t want to appear racist,” he said in one routine.
“C’mon, you know you’re out there.”
But whether Majumder is talking about racism, politics or love and hate, there’s no denying that he makes people laugh, and that’s what’s important.
See Majumder at the Mary Winspear Centre on Nov. 6 with a return of his Hardly Dead tour.
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