Film/Stage
Hardeep Singh Kohli:
The Nearly Naked Chef
by IAN DOUGLAS
Hardeep Singh Kohli has a lot going for him.
First there's his trademark turban and kilt. He's instantly recognizable.
Then there's the legacy of growing up Sikh in Glasgow. It is a humour that draws deeply from the well of life.
Take the time young Hardeep stumbled
across two thugs brawling on a neighbourhood street. Brawling, that is,
until they saw him, whereupon they stopped fighting and gave chase. "You
see, even at a young age, I was uniting people," he quips.
All he needs then is a vehicle, an excuse to stand before an audience.
So, inspired by his time on the BBC's Masterchef, he came up with The Nearly Naked Chef show.
Forged in the heat of the Edinburgh Festival,
the formula is brilliantly simple and suits his strengths down to the
ground. Two hours filled with anecdotes, jokes and cooking tips. At the
end, a few lucky theatregoers are treated to a helping of daal.
Hardeep's performance at The Lakeside Arts Centre on Thursday, May 12, 2011, had the mostly mature audience in polite
chuckles all night. Reminiscences about his family life, his parents,
his eccentric Uncle Rajid, while uniquely Punjabi, were the stuff with
which anyone could identify. This was a gently amusing but also
profoundly sympathetic view of family life and the debt we all owe our
relatives.
Meanwhile, Hardeep was busily chopping away at the onions and chilli,
sprinkling the spices and stirring in vinegar. The aromas alone made the
evening a scintillating affair. The programme, incidentally, includes
several of his favourite recipes.
Hardeep's banter is witty, intelligent and universal. But don't be
fooled; beneath this charming facade lies a Bengal tiger. Several of the
punters were unceremoniously ribbed, not least one young latecomer
attempting to sneak quietly into the back of the theatre. Hardeep turned
the spotlight on this unfortunate fan. Let's just say the lamb steaks
weren't the only ones in hot water!
There were dark moments too. Hardeep's account of how victory eluded him
on Masterchef was a story that started off wryly funny but ended with a
sour taste. "I'm over it now!" he cried, clearly meaning the opposite.
And although there was no particularly blue humour, the air was as thick
with colourful language as it was coriander.
In conclusion ‘The Nearly Naked Chef' was amusing, with plenty of food
for thought.
If you like vindaloo and laughter, look out for his next tour, ‘Chat Masala'.
Read our interview with Hardeep Singh Kohli.
[Courtesy: Left Lion]
May 16, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), May 16, 2011, 5:22 PM.
Living and working with comic energy is the best thing to do now, the way Hardeep Singh Kohli is doing in Glasgow. Unconventional people like him end up becoming millionaires. I know one in Canada: Russell Peters of Brampton. In Hardeep's case or that of his ilk, living well and differently is the best revenge against the establishment. I am tempted to apply my comic energy here in Canada! So carry on, Hardeep, go all the way, be a naked chef, why 'almost'? You add an extraordinary spice.