Mind Your Jokes

All comedians are equal but some are more targeted than others, writes Sanjay Rajoura.

A stand-up comic is not just someone who makes the audience laugh. A stand-up comic bullies and taunts the powerful and makes the powerless laugh at them, writes Sanjay Rajoura.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

One thing has to be given to the thin-skinned right wing. They get offended without exception. A few weeks back it was that juvenile and flippant show called India’s Got Latent, and now the guns are aimed at Kunal Kamra for making a joke on a politician. One thing is clear: the right wing has no filter, there are no rules. One never knows what it is that one says that can cause trouble.

I think the day of a right winger starts with surfing the internet to find something to get offended about and then following the steps that have been practiced and normalised: Vandalise the venue, give threats to the person of interest and finally, file an FIR. This is the standard operating procedure.

The space for free speech is shrinking, comedy is becoming difficult...this phrase is heard and said ad nauseam, and has become clichéd.

The space has long been lost, and there is no point trying to hold on to vacuity. The ruling dispensation has been blamed and for good reasons but who actually has lost this space and whose right of freedom of expression has been compromised?

Whose Free Speech is it, Anyway?

First of all, I want to emphasise that the purpose and relevance of satire and stand-up go beyond entertainment. The more difficult the times, the more relevant satire and comedy become. The worst times are probably the best times for satire to blossom. Satire is the voice of the oppressed.

A stand-up comic is not just someone who makes the audience laugh. A stand-up comic bullies and taunts the powerful and makes the powerless laugh at them.

A stand-up comic transfers some power to the powerless. Kunal Kamra was doing just that — his job. That those in power got offended means he was doing his job well.

In a repressive regime, this exactly is what the job of a satirist is. This forces me to ask an important question.

There is supposedly a stand-up comedy boom in India. The number of stand-up comics in India has shot up exponentially. Ideally, it should mean that defiance against the powers and an anti-establishment sentiment is at an all-time high amongst stand-up comics. But is that the case? Sadly, the answer to this question is a big NO. We often hear stand-up comics complaining that their freedom of expression is shrinking.

But what exactly is their expression, apart from tomfoolery? Who in this dispensation has a problem with tomfoolery? Actually, no one.

India’s Got Latent is an aberration and the controversy behind it was a random act. As a matter of fact, the dispensation loves non-political comedy. The irony is that being apolitical in these times is itself convenient politics.

The Real-a-Politik

Essentially, people who are not affected or moved by the injustices around themselves are performing for people who are not affected or moved by the injustices around themselves.

Who is complaining? Many comics have chosen self-censorship, which, in my opinion, is the worst form of censorship. Because then, the government doesn't even have to get its hands dirty. Many have said openly that they do not want to jeopardise their career by doing political comedy. But as I said earlier, being apolitical in itself is political.

Manjeet Sarkar is a young Dalit stand-up comic who uses razor sharp wit in his critique of caste on stage. He is “political” because of his identity and his lived experiences.

His comedy is certain to ruffle some feathers. But has he censored himself? Absolutely not. Is he complaining that the space for comedy is shrinking? Absolutely not. Both Manjeet Sarkar and Kunal Kamra are going about their jobs without flinching. In fact, Kunal has declared that he has done nothing illegal and will not apologize, unlike people involved with India’s Got Latent. As I said, Kunal is doing his job and the government is not.

I am not surprised by the reactions from lackeys of the powers. Just like I am not surprised by Kunal’s show. The reaction was all too predictable and all too familiar to be surprised. I want to talk about what is coming next. Forget about shrinking spaces, that ship has sailed. All the self-proclaimed “apolitical” stand-up comics will now come out saying that they are scared. While it is often said that a standup comic should have the number of a lawyer on speed dial, the fact is, most well known comics in India need not have that number. The kind of stuff that passes on as stand-up comedy does not need a lawyer.

Funny Games

Should these people have the stage and a mic? Absolutely. It's their right and their audience deserves what they like. Do they work hard? Yes, they do work really hard on their shows. Can they get into trouble with authorities because of their material? I hardly think so. Their material doesn't show a mirror or make fun of either the society or the establishment. Why would the authorities bother then? They have all the space, venues, stages and mics available to them to perform.

So when this lot says that they are scared, their apprehensions, in my opinion, are misplaced.

An oppressive state actually prefers their form of comedy. To the state, it's harmless. They have all the freedom for their expression. It’s the likes of Kunal Kamra, who do not have that luxury.

One has to be very clear. What Kunal Kamra is doing is anti-establishment and sometimes even radical. It will invite the ire of the right wing and I don't think Kunal Kamra is unaware of this. But the rest of the lot need not worry about any repercussions. They are sitting well with the privileged in society and with the establishment.

Their freedom to express themselves is going nowhere, at least for now, particularly with this establishment in power. To say, “we are now scared”, is a hollow statement.

You confirm, you comply, you bend over, you play on stereotypes, mostly because of your privilege. Trust me, you guys are safe and I am happy for you.

For Kunal Kamra and his ilk, the story is different however. The spaces are lost, the freedom is at ransom but paradoxically the likes of Kunal Kamra thrive on such difficult wickets. That's because Kunal Kamra loves to look into the eyes of the emperor and say aloud that the emperor is wearing no clothes.

(Sanjay Rajoura is a comedian and a writer. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)