IS POLITICS IN INDIAN STAND-UP COMEDY A DUMB DECISION?

I used to enjoy watching Indian Stand-up comedies, still do, however, I noticed a change in the climate of Stand-Up comedy. With Netflix and Amazon Prime launching series and specials with big comedians, they have received a big stage and an audience and an influential power with which some desire to make a change. Hence the rapid popularity of socio-political criticism in Indian comedic stages. But I also noticed severe backlash and it got me researching the whys of the topic. Being a young individual stepping into adulthood, serious topics do pique my interest so I delved into the question, is India ready for Social and Political Comedy?

Political and Social Satire is a very popular genre of comedy in today’s century. Stand-up comedians have recently begun embracing Stand-up Comedy as a means to bring awareness to people and reform society. Comedians like Hassan Minhaj are known for political and social comedy like his Netflix series, Patriot Act. Satire gained popularity in the 18th century with the advent of novels in the British society. And the popularity of social and political satire then is telling of its success.

However, satire does not quite seem to be popular in India, hence there are only very few well-known Indian stand-up comics who do socio-political comedy. Comedians do not discuss these topics because they find it funny, they do so because somebody has to address the issues. Topics like religion, politics, sexism, and casteism are very sensitive. Unfortunately, the Indian audience does not receive humour based on such topics well, and thus, discussing such issues subjects comedians to various threats and backlashes. Evidently, India does not seem to be a safe space for political stand-up comedians.

The intent of satire is to address problematic factors of a society in a subtle humorous manner so as to not offend people, but what happens when that very method manages to offend the citizens?

Political satire opposes the status quo of a society. A country runs a certain way, and there are certain norms and value systems it is accustomed to. While it benefits those in the top rung of the ladder, those at the bottom suffer. Political satire questions the logic and inequality in the practices. This threatens the status quo of the society, the staunch believers, and the power holders. Unfortunately, those who are conservative, and those in positions of authority take offense to the questioning and find filing FIRs arresting and threatening to be the only solutions to tune out the voices.

Kunal Kamra faced charges of contempt of court due to his tweet allegedly defaming the judiciary through on December 18, 2020. His comment claimed that the judiciary mets out partial treatment between the privileged and the common when delivering justice. The thin line between breaking of law, and questioning the law blurs everyday as dissidents face charges for expressing their dissatisfaction with the country’s system.

Comedians often get rebutted for questioning practices with the sentiment of ‘tradition’. Female comedians often receive criticism and threats for satirizing their plight or joking about religion or politics.

Agrima Joshua, yet another stand-up comedian received rape threats for joking about Maratha Warrior Chatrapathi Shivaji. The threats continued even after the artist issued an apology and took down the video. This paints a very dark picture of the Indian society. Does it value historical figures more than the lives and dignity of those who live today?

Popular comedians intentionally avoid making political and social satire for the reason that they receive threats and face severe consequences for it. Kenny Sebastian in his show on 23rd April 2018 discussed why he did not make political or social jokes despite being asked to by his audience multiple times. He said that ‘India was not ready for political jokes.’

Indians demand satiric commentary on politics and social issues, despite knowing that it is not well received. I find this irony quite humorous. Stand-up comedy thrives on satire and sarcasm but the Indian population appears to conveniently overlook the base of the art and penalizes those who attempt to use it to bring awareness.

The Guardian covers the incident of Vir Das’s controversial stand-up comedy. The Indian comedian known for his controversial social and political satire has recently been subject to a complaint filed by the spokesperson of BJP for ‘insulting the country’ with his stand-up on “two Indias” in Washington DC on Saturday, 13th November. He discussed the irony and the hypocrisy of the country’s belief systems through his lines, “I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang rape them at night.” The video once uploaded went viral and divided the country, whose freedom of speech already stands clashing with nationalist sentiments, between those who believe he spoke nothing but the truth and those who believe he maligned the country’s name.

While the image of a country depends on its portrayal by the influential, its standard solely depends on the society and those in power. If an individual receives backlash for simply questioning the existing norms, how can one expect safety?

Unfortunately, what I find to be true is that the country has a long way to go before it can truly enjoy and utilize the art of political satire. In the current world, citizens seem to struggle to find freedom of speech and expression in the muffled crowd, let alone find the freedom to criticize society and politics through humour. Perhaps India could be a safe place for comedians if they perfect the art of subtle criticism, however, that again would only be possible if those at the receiving end are open-minded and accepting of flaws and the authorities remain democratic. As of now, India not only seems to be a hostile place for political stand-up comedians but also remains in its budding stages of liberal thinking as far as socio-political criticism is concerned. What is your take?