Indian-origin comic dies during performance

Indian-origin stand-up comedian Manjunath Naidu died on stage while performing his act in front of a packed audience in Dubai. Naidu, 36, reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest last week.

Naidu, born in Abu Dhabi, later shifted base to Dubai.
Naidu, born in Abu Dhabi, later shifted base to Dubai. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Manjunath Naidu

“He was the last act in the line-up. He went on stage and was making people laugh with his stories. He was talking about his father and family. And then he got me a story of how he suffers from anxiety. And a minute into the story he collapsed,” Miqdaad Dohadwala, his friend and fellow comedian, was quoted as saying.

"People thought it was part of the act. They took it as a joke as he was talking about anxiety and then collapsed," he said. Dohadwala said that the paramedics could not revive him.

Naidu, born in Abu Dhabi, later shifted base to Dubai. “His parents passed away and he has a brother but no relatives here. All in the arts and comedy circle are his family,” Dohadwala added.