Manik Bahl (front) and a fellow contestant Manik Bahl, contestant of reality show Bindass Hass Ley India Comedy Gang War, had to lose his job in order to continue with the show. That's not funny, but the budding comedian is certainly not upset about it. Putting up a brave front, Bahl says, "So what if I lost my job? My job was not the be-all and end-all of my life. I have achieved more than I have lost."
Last week, 30-year old Bahl lost his job at a call centre because he asked for a leave extension, which was originally sanctioned for only 21 days. His company asked him to quit the job immediately despite Bahl trying to reason with them. Says Bahl, "The call centre people told me 'show karo, ya phir naukri karo. Ek ko choose karo'." Since Bahl has already reached the finals, he didn't really care about his job. He says, "When I asked for more leave, I knew I was inviting trouble. But my participation in the show has been like a dream come true for me. I wanted to be recognised as a comedian and the show has helped me achieve that. If God wanted me to sacrifice my job in exchange for it, so be it." Bahl, who stays in Goregaon, claims that he is a chalta-firta comedian at office and at home. An excited Bahl says, "Comedy comes naturally to me. I want to win this contest. Job khoya hai, to bada compensation lena hai." Wit in the face of adversity, now that's character Bahl!
