Malayali content creator Harikrishnan US on finding an audience through wordplay

“Even though my name is Harikrishnan US, I am currently working in Australia,” jokes the Melbourne-based content creator, popularly known as Iyyer Cook as he sits down for a chat with me.

Still reeling from the high of being recognised by someone at a cafe moments ago, he says, “Even though I am from Poojappura (in Thiruvananthapuram), it’s probably the first time someone has approached me after watching my content.”

Harikrishnan, a 36-year-old business analyst by day, has carved out a niche online audience with 13-second-long reels featuring one-liner jokes, mainly using wordplay in English and Malayalam. He is gearing up for his first stand-up comedy show in Kerala, Iyyer Cook: Live & Unfiltered, in Thiruvananthapuram on June 7.

“No one ever had to force me to get on stage. They just had to ask. I have performed in Melbourne for a local channel and have also done stand-up comedy as an engineering student during college fetes, and as a corporate employee,” says Harikrishnan, who considers American comedian George Carlin and Malayalam actor Jagathy Sreekumar his idols.

Harikrishnan US aka Iyyer Cook
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“I have always liked being on stage and making jokes since I was a child,” says Harikrishnan, who previously worked as a software engineer and lecturer. “I have always loved stories and storytelling, something that stayed with me across professions,” he says.

Harikrishnan has been a member of the International Chalu Union, a popular Facebook community that posted memes on politics, film, and media, since 2012 and credits the group for sharing some of his earliest works. “There were a lot of accounts with peculiar monikers, with pop culture references. Even my handle, Iyyer Cook, is a reference to the late Sankaradi’s character in the 1994 Priyadarshan-filmMinnaram. I related to how his character narrated incidents in the film in a convoluted manner, which is how I often tell stories,” he says.

Harikrishnan’s videos often follow a question-answer pattern. He begins the video by posing a riddle to his audience. “I often begin by turning my head away from my laptop screen, facing the audience, since most of the time, I will be working while shooting the videos. The reason why the video is only 13 seconds long is, I have only that much time to spare,” says Harikrishnan, who moved to Melbourne eight years ago.

Harikrishnan notes that he engages with the audience with his content in two ways. “One, by reeling them in with a question, leading them on in a certain direction and coming up with an unexpected answer. Two, you can give people the answer and then wait for them to make the connection.”

He adds, “Initially, people used to find my jokes silly and pointless and be slightly annoyed. Later, they began interacting with it and started taking it as a challenge to come up with the answers. Now, some comments under the posts are even better than my original ideas.”

When asked about taking up stand-up comedy as a profession, Harikrishnan says he is ready if he is able to get a steady income out of it. Commenting on the uncertainty around performing, he says, “There’s no guarantee that a joke might land, be it online or offline. But, when I look back, I realise there have been times when I have been through worse. So even if a joke doesn’t land, I brush it off and move on. In the end, my aim is to make people laugh without hurting them.”

The show is at TAC-The Artists’ Cafe, House No: 23, Sree Nagar, Sreevaraham, on June 7, 6.30pm. Entry is free but will be on first-come first-serve basis since seats are limited. Contact: 7907433995