Parched actress Tannishtha Chatterje has sparked a debate around our very definition of humour and comedy, to point out how prejudice is deeply rooted in what we find funny. She walked out of Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza after being subjected to what she felt was racist humour, based purely on her skin tone.
While public opinion has largely supported the actress in the ‘humour vs racism’ debate, Indian author and journalist Manu Joseph points out that she might have been expecting ‘too much intelligence’ from Indian TV shows. He posted his views on his Facebook page saying, “I wonder what she thought a roast was going to be”.
Though Tannishtha Chatterje has clearly spelt out what she expected of a ‘roast’, Joseph thinks she was being somewhat naive.
A ‘roast’ is an extension of a counter of a ‘toast’. You toast somebody’s life and instead of just saying ‘oh you’re so great, you’re contribution is so great’, you make fun of that person’s contribution to his/her field of work. That’s what actually a roast is all about. It’s a form of actually celebrating that person’s life. If you’re telling me that you’re going to ‘roast’ me, I’m in for that. Then do that. Don’t interpret this as comedy, because it emphasizes on the same prejudices and it shows what is your mindset. You’re prejudiced against it, that’s why you find it funny right? Otherwise what is funny in saying ‘have you eaten jamun and grown up?’Tannishtha Chatterje, Actor
While Tannishtha makes a valid point, Joseph points out that humour around the world is racist in nature and cracks us up nevertheless.
I wonder what she thought a roast was going to be. Was she really expecting someone of Larry King’s class? (During a roast Larry King told Snoop Dogg, “If you’re 71 percent black, you’re 29 percent not guilty” which was one of the finest digs at American racism). What exactly was Tannishtha expecting at the ‘Comedy Bachao’ roast?Manu Joseph, Journalist-Author (via Facebook)
To drive his point home, Joseph compares Tannishtha’s ‘walk out’ to leftist activists who agree to go on Arnab Goswami’s ‘loud’ evening debates and come back very offended.
But here’s the big point- comedy is and has been racist forever, but should we continue to laugh about it?
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