‘I had no choice’: Why Tamil comic Alexander Babu set up his own OTT space

“I did not have a choice,” says funnyman Alexander Babu, rather pensively. He is referring to his recent plan to launch an OTT platform of his own (Anba TV), a move that was done after approaching several OTT players with the content of his latest hit show, Alexperience.

That his content didn’t find takers in the OTT space is a little disheartening. His previous show, Alex in Wonderland, was a success, with Amazon Prime even deciding to subtitle it in more than ten languages to benefit subscribers from many countries. “I thought that was it; I had made it. I thought everyone would roll out a red-carpet for my content,” he recalls.

But no one did — despite the success of the live shows of Alexperience. Representatives from the OTT space informed him that there was no momentum for regional stand-up comic content. “I suddenly realised I was on my own. YouTube was an option but the kind of content I was putting out brings along with it certain challenges. I was left alone. I could relate to many creators; like a filmmaker who has made a good project without stars but does not know what to do with it.”

Alexander, a corporate professional-turned-comedian, decided to take matters into his own hands. On September 5, he is set to launch his latest show in ‘Anba TV’, an exclusive OTT space that will showcase all his content. “I’ve worked in IT before and understand what it means to build a product. So, I decided to set up shop. Something like those small shops you find outside malls which draw huge crowds. Here, it’s like buying a DVD that you can watch anytime you like,” says Alexander. He believes that there will be takers for this model. “I have DVDs of Tamil films like Pammal K Sammandam and Michael Madana Kama Rajan that I play every few months and watch. I believe this will be like that,” says the comic, who describes ‘Anba TV’ as a home for all his content and something that does not yield returns immediately.

Alexander Babu
| Photo Credit:
Shivaraj S; Location: I Conventions, Adyar

Humour meets music

Hitting 50 soon, Alexander — who rose to fame thanks to his ability to mix humour with a heady dose of music — has been in the stand-up comedy scene for more than a decade now. Alexperience saw him reflecting on socially-relevant themes, even as he delved into his love for music and Tamil. So, what has been his biggest lessons from that show, which was performed from 2022 to 2024 to audiences across the world? “It was magical. Every time I got on stage, I told myself that it was a blessing and that the divine was using me as an instrument to pass on information. I’m not Crazy Mohan, but people loved my lines. I’m not a great singer, but audiences still loved my performances.”

He also did a couple of film projects in the last few years, like Madhavan-starrer Maara and the web-series, Time Enna Boss. “After this launch, I’m going to go on a sabbatical, just to plunge into writing content. But as I do not have any tours planned this year, I am open to taking up interesting film offers. Acting gives me the opportunity to learn new skills.”

Alexander believes in the motto work hard, be kind and spread joy. He addresses his audiences endearingly as ‘chellams’. “My kids look up to me. They think of me as a hero. They feel offended if someone scolds me and I sometimes am not sure if I’m worthy of being put on such a pedestal. So, when I get hate comments on social media or get booed during stage shows, I keep thinking of the audiences as my children. My job, as a parent, is to be sweet to them. I have the microphone that no one in the room has, so I have to be responsible. Also, this is some sort of an internal affirmation; when I address them as ‘chellams’, it relaxes me. It tells me that I am not there to present material in its pristine manner, but rather, to have a conversation with the people in front of me.”

For details, log on to anba.tv and book ‘Alexperience’ for ₹1000