Remember Lola Kutty, who wore Kanjivaram sari and decked her hair with gajra while anchoring a show on a popular music channel? A former VJ, Anuradha Menon is set to do another stand-up act. In a conversation with THE WEEK, she talked about new projects in her kitty, the inspiration behind her acts and stand up comedians in general. Excerpts:
Post Lola Kutty, what have you been busy with?
I was always doing theatre even while I was playing Lola. Then I took a break for a few years and had a kid. Now, since I can travel now, I do a lot of stand-up comedy now. That's what I have been doing. My solo special will be out in November.
Did you always wanted to be a stand-up comedian or was it accidental?
When I was expecting, it (being a stand-up comedian) went on the back foot. Then I started off doing it a little more since stand-up comedy demands a lot of travel. My husband is a marine engineer. He was often on a ship. I was clever when I chose to travel with him, how much I chose to do it so that I can be around the kid.
Who or what inspires you?
I am a story comic—it is essentially stuff that is genuinely happening to me in my life, whether it is getting admission into school or being married into a Gujarati family. So, I am not into political comedies. I am an observational comedian.
What's next?
I will soon be performing at The Park’s New Festival 2017. This one is really different from the rest. It's a one-woman piece on a child actor, her life till the age of 35. The act will share the child actor's past, present and future. It's about this child actor who fails to make it big in life, her relationship with her parents, sister, who is a golden child; and the way she comes to terms with her own failures. It will highlight the everyday things in a woman's life through the eyes of this girl. It's not all serious but also a fun act. Besides this, I am also working on a play.
Are you planning to work with a digital streaming platform?
I am definitely open to online streaming platforms. Everything is, in a way, moving towards the web in terms of creativity as well as liking. It is more budget-friendly and also gives the freedom in which you can make stuff. My plans depend on the stuff I make and what interests me. Some stuff has come that has not interested me and in some cases, things have also come that has interested me but it didn't work out for various other reasons. Something is in the pipeline.
You don't use rude words in your acts and yet they become hits. How does that work?
I am pretty conscious in my life that I am not comfortable swearing on stage. I prefer being a clean comedian. Not that I have any issue with people swearing. Now there's this whole debate of male comedians and female comedians using rude words. There's bias from audience's point of view. If a woman comedian swears, they say good girls should not use such words. But you never think about that from a guy's point of view. He can swear and it's a pretty cool thing for him. So, there's a basic level of bias. I do not enjoy talking about any potty jokes but I don't mean it's not funny. But if I say that it's more acceptable for a man than a woman, that's wrong.
Enlist some reasons for people to watch you perform.
People should watch my acts because it covers music, dance and drama and also because we sympathise with you in a way that nothing else does. You become a better human being because it moves you and touches you. It allows you to escape for an hour to a completely different world and also on a lower budget. I think, there's something magical about live performances since it's a larger extravaganza and we do it purely for the love of it.
