Abish Mathew, who has completed almost two decades of his career as a stand-up comedian, is releasing his second one-hour special edition. finishnext Oops!Which is streaming on Amazon Prime since 2018. However, Abish admits finish Being the product of personal and comic reinvention. ,Oops! This is from a 20 year old man trying to impress the audience. This is from a man in his 30s who is trying to impress parents,” he commented.
“The special was about growth. Since 2018, I’ve devoted more time to writing. Performing comes naturally to me. But now, I get more excited by the idea of writing a joke rather than having an idea, taking it on stage and seeing where it goes, which is what the last special was about. Now that I’m on tour, I’m trying to lean more into the moment and see what happens.”
finishCurrently streaming on YouTube, is a medley of Abish’s jokes from the last three years since he had his famous talk show, son of abishon hold. Half of the show was created thematically over the last year, when he went on tour. “The show finally came about when my parents came to watch it. I realized I was talking about them. It became a show about my perspective as the youngest child in a Mallu Catholic family in Delhi, their story of why my name is Abish. And finish It’s a joke that my father did,” says Abish.
Abish Mathew | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The comedian credits his family for his long career in comedy. “Before doing standup, I worked at a radio station and was in a band. My parents were supportive of it. They supported me in school when I was into theater and music. My eldest brother used to come to every show of mine, be it music or hosting an event at a mall, or recording at a church. All three of them made me who I am today. Moving from Delhi to Mumbai was never a conversation. I felt like instead of a spontaneous start, I got a boost from them.”
Abish says humor is part of his family, his father telling jokes, his mother laughing and her cruel replies. “For example, my father would tell jokes like me, while my mother would bring up harsh, political jokes like (Gursimran) Khamba, (Kunal) Kamra and Varun Grover, and we would be shocked.”
taking a break
While he took a break from stand-up, he appreciated the many comedians who entered the scene during that time, each with their own approach. “With so many open mics happening, there’s weird comedy, shows with all-female lineups, alt comedy and improv comedy groups.” He also points out that more comics are confident about releasing shows in different formats and podcasts. “I’m introduced to new comics every day. I immediately reach out to them and say this is a great set.”
Abish says, “I have recently finished Varun Grover’s special show, don’t understand anythingit was so good, It was light, I have always enjoyed Kanan Gill’s special dishes; This is something I aspire to do, I love anything by Anirban Dasgupta and Tarang Hardikar, I must give special congratulations to Gurleen Pannu; Her last video made me laugh nonstop, Even with Sreeja Chaturvedi and Prashasti Singh, it is effortless and authentic,
Abish Mathew | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
looking back
Abish remembers it very well son of abishWhich ran for nine seasons and brought him fame. “When people recognize you for work that you put in three years ago, it feels wonderful. This has been done by Abish, who is almost 20 years younger. I look back, and say, ‘Good job, Abish.’ I enjoyed making that show, and it was my dream to make it. I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating a show with the writers, directors and producers.”
What advice does Abish have for aspiring comics? “There’s no advice; find your nearest open mic and go there a few times. Then reach out to the comics there, say I want to try that. Try to understand what makes a good joke. Sometimes people laugh at an interesting premise, and we think people laughed, so we move on to the next premise. But your objective is, you got a laugh, that means the audience is interested, now you need a great payoff. If you have that objective in mind. If you write, it may take you several weeks to write a joke, but find a good enjoyable process for it.
The finish is now streaming on the Son of Abish YouTube channel
published – January 06, 2026 05:08 PM IST