What has led to comedy in India evolving from a filler to the main act?
Social media, largely. Other modes of entertainment, especially television, have not stepped up. Online shows are now filling that gap to an extent. Money follows popularity, and now that there is big money in comedy, it is a legitimate industry, and is growing.
Do you think the present political environment is intolerant of any kind of lampooning? Have you faced trouble?
The backlash never comes from the source itself. I have spoken to many politicians of different parties, and they are all OK with the stuff we say. It is always some absurd, random follower [of the party] who gets upset. And, they don’t just get upset about government jokes.
I feel that it took a long time for this government to come to power, and the people who wanted this government are not willing to listen to anything else. I still dont think the main political class cares.
Threat is a perpetual problem, I have got death threats, too. The issue is not that performers get threats, but that these groups get away with giving threats. If you are a vote bank, you can get away with anything.
How do you circumvent the censorship of intolerance?
There is no way to circumvent, because people will throw accusations anyway. I have reached a point when I don’t want to get into this at all. Just say what you want, and have a thick skin.
Apart from making people laugh, and making money for yourself, what is a comedian’s role in India, today?
We don’t want to be burdened with luggage. We make jokes, some are relevant, others not. We are not messiahs of change. As the winds change, we will make jokes of the change, too.
We have a minor responsibility, though. It is to speak up. But that is as humans first, not comedians. Let us not saddle artists with upholding the moral code.
Once the laughter is over, are the jokes forgotten, or do they linger on, impacting mindsets?
Yes, in a way, they do. I approach a joke as a lawyer approaches a case, exploring all sides of the matter. We may miss the mark, but we still try. The Daily Show, a news comedy show, was once the prime source of news for students in the US. We, too, in India, have that following. But, only when regional comedians become big will comedy actually help bring about changes in mindset.
