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Atul Khatri was selling computers before most of today’s comedians were born.

Before he became one of India’s most loved stand-ups, he spent decades inside the Indian IT industry — the real Rocket Singh life, minus the Bollywood polish. He told me the actual story of how computers entered Mumbai, when fax machines died, and what the analog-to-digital transition really felt like from the inside.

But this conversation went way beyond his career.

We talked about marriage — whether it genuinely gets boring, why Indian parents obsess over their children’s weddings, and the quiet comedy of hen-pecked husbands. We talked about his worst rejection, his love for rock music, his brush with Jethro Tull, and the 90s scene of LP cassette piracy and booking movie tickets by hand.

We got into the business of comedy too — how clubs are designed, what Indian comedy looked like before stand-up existed, and why startups keep trying to gamify human connection.

And we didn’t stop there. Modi’s larger-than-life image, Soho House networking, the builder-politician nexus in Maharashtra, pressure on kids, education abroad, cultural diversity — Atul had takes on all of it.

I also shared a farewell story from my own life that I’ve never told on the podcast before.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:14 - Agencies vs Artists

08:39 - Hen Pecker Husbands?

11:24 - Does Marriage Get Boring?

14:34 - Indian Parents Obsessed with Children’s Marriage

17:39 - Is Rocket Singh Based on Reality?

21:17 - How He Got Into Computer Industry

28:02 - Atul’s Worst Rejection

29:44 - Analog India vs Digital India

32:18 - When Did Fax Machines Go?

33:41 - Computer Adoption in Mumbai

37:19 - Startups Gamifying Human Connection

39:58 - His Love for Rock

42:32 - Vinamre’s Podcast with Roger Waters?

45:03 - Atul Meeting Jethro Tull

47:55 - LP Cassettes Piracy in 90s

50:34 - Booking Movie Tickets in 90s

53:34 - How are Comedy Clubs Designed

55:19 - Comedy in India before Stand Ups

58:56 - End of Modi’s Larger Than Life Perception?

1:02:41 - How Atul Looks So Young?

1:04:51 - Meeting People at Soho House

1:12:22 - Politicians and Builders in Maharashtra

1:14:13 - Vinamre’s INSANE Farewell Story

1:19:14 - The Shrink and The Nut

1:25:34 - Pressure on Kids, Education Abroad & Cultural Diversity

1:41:01 - Conclusion

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Vinamre Kasanaa is a writer at heart, podcaster and entrepreneur by craft.

He spends a significant part of his time reading and researching.

With over 500 podcasts under his belt, he’s interviewed everyone—from HNIs and industry leaders to everyday superheroes.

Follow Vinamre:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinamre-kasanaa-b8524496/

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Atul Khatri on Modi, 90s India, and Rock Music | Dostcast