India-born stand-up builds comedy utopia in Oakland

Samson Koletkar always had comedy in his blood, writing sketches and directing comic plays growing up in a working-class family in Mumbai, India.

But it wasn’t until Koletkar was in his 20s and had the mind-blowing experience of his first live comedy show — a Don McMillan performance at the San Jose Improv — that he realized it was a real-life career option.

“The stage was bigger than our house in India,” Koletkar remembers. “The first thought in my head was, ‘This is an amazing job. You just go up there and tell jokes, and people pay you money for doing that? I would love to do that.’”

Koletkar, 40, has become a force in the East Bay comedy scene since then, performing five times most weeks, and co-founding the Desi Comedy Fest, an August event that brings local and national South Asian comics to multiple venues. The Fremont resident bills himself Mahatma Moses, “the world’s only Indian Jewish stand-up comedian.”

But his centerpiece achievement is founding Comedy Oakland, which has grown to five shows on three nights every week, transforming the top floor of the Spice Monkey restaurant into a thriving comedy club.

Oakland stand-up comic Adam Pearlstein praises Koletkar for his drive and striking organizational skills.

“There’s like a thing in the scene, in amateur and local comedy, that if you try too hard and it looks like you’re treating it like a job, then you’re not cool,” Pearlstein says. “Samson’s completely comfortable with not being cool.”

That last part is a joke between friends, but like a lot of comedy, there’s more than a kernel of truth. Koletkar’s background as a hard-working problem solver — he’s had day jobs in Silicon Valley tech support, information technology and product management — permeates Comedy Oakland. As much as he has honed his stand-up, he may be even stronger as a promoter.

“There’s just a lot of bad comedy rooms,” Koletkar says. “Most comics are not producers and businesspeople. They’re comedians. They know how to go up and tell a joke, but they don’t know how to run a show.”

Now a married father with two small children, Koletkar was a showman from an early age. He was one of a small number of Jewish children in India, writing sketches in youth programs at the only Jewish community center in Mumbai.

When he moved to the Bay Area in 2000, Koletkar had only seen stand-up comedy performances on TV and had never seen an Indian comic. He started dancing with a Bollywood troupe in Milpitas as a creative outlet.

Two events made a huge impact in the mid-2000s: seeing a viral video by Canadian-born Indian comic Russell Peters and attending that San Jose Improv show with PowerPoint comedian McMillan. By early 2006, Koletkar was appearing at every poorly produced comedy night and rowdy bar room open mike event that would have him.

“It was like this challenge. ‘Yeah, I know the setup is bad. But can I overcome that and still make people laugh?’ That whole excitement in the beginning is what kept me going,” Koletkar says. “By the end of 2006, I was a comedian. That was my definition.”

Frustrated with comedy shows that didn’t cater to the artist, in 2009 Koletkar started his own show at the Washington Inn in Oakland. During opening night, his headliner dropped out.

“We got 15 or 20 people, which is not bad for a first show,” Koletkar says. “Every Friday we would sit and wonder, ‘Are we going to have a show today? Will anyone walk in?’ Four or five or six people would walk in. ‘That’s a show. Yay!’”

Now he hosts one Spice Monkey show on Thursdays and two each on Fridays and Saturdays; and the 75-seat room frequently sells out. Stand-up comedian Ira Summer is a co-host, with others, including Pearlstein, helping out.

A recent Thursday night is typical for Koletkar, hustling behind the scenes while preparing for his own 15-minute set. He puts out small fires and excitedly greets guests, after working multiple social media and online advertising accounts to ensure a 50-person crowd on the club’s slowest night.

Onstage, Koletkar’s personality is the opposite — taking his time to make a connection with the audience. He’s not a caricature, but he brings the Jewish, Indian and immigrant experience into his comedy from the beginning.

“I used to work in tech … because it is the law,” Koletkar begins one story, drawing strong laughter.

Koletkar’s abilities as a promoter can be seen in the room itself, which transforms from a light-filled banquet room into the vibe of one of those great basement clubs born out of the 1980s San Francisco comedy scene. Curtains, a quality sound system, spotlights and a huge “COMEDY OAKLAND” backdrop all contribute to a startling metamorphosis.

Pearlstein, who co-founded his own comedy show at the Uptown Nightclub, was the host and opening comic on Thursday, March 9.

“I probably have some of my stronger sets here,” Pearlstein says. “The atmosphere is perfect. You’ve got the low ceilings — it keeps the laughter in. Everyone is focused on the stage. There are a lot of things that people don’t see that makes a show good. Sam kind of hits everything that makes it good.”

Local comics Joey Avery, Adrian McNair and Josef Anolin filled out the talent that night. An all-female lineup, which included Sureni Weerasekera, performed the next night. Most of Koletkar’s lineups have the diversity of a United Nations subcommittee — which the comic says is deliberate.

“That Russell Peters video was amazing. That’s when my mind changed completely,” Koletkar says. “It was the first time I had seen an Indian comedian, onstage, destroying. Until then, stand-up was something I had only seen white guys do and black guys do.”

Koletkar took a break from his day job at the end of 2015, working on comedy full time. The Desi Comedy Fest, which Koletkar has co-produced with Abhay Nadkarni, will return Aug. 10-20; previous versions have brought more than 50 South Asian comics to multiple venues from San Francisco to Livermore, Santa Cruz and Sacramento.

“Somewhere deep inside, my goal is to make people laugh,” Koletkar says, “and that brings me happiness.”

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub

Comedy Oakland: Thursday-Saturday at Spice Monkey restaurant, 1628 Webster St., Oakland. Most tickets are $10-$15 online, and a few dollars more at the door. Tickets, showtimes and comedy lineups at www.comedyoakland.com.

Desi Comedy Fest: Returns Aug. 10-20. More information at www.desicomedyfest.com.

More on Samson Koletkar: www.mahatma-moses.com