The Politics of Comedy

Radhika Vaz calls herself an ‘extreme liberal’. So liberal that our scale can’t even account for it

In a country like India, where taking offence is a national pastime, how political can the comic scene be? Is it okay to make jokes on politicians and their politics, or is everyone too scared of Jaya Bachchan?

We sent email questionnaires to India’s leading comics and satirist to get answers to these questions. We also asked them to rate themselves on our liberal-conservative scale.

Next on our series is Radhika Vaz, who you may know as that naked lady on stage, but is so much more than that. One of the country’s leading stand-up comics, Radhika is known to grab biology by the balls and take a dig at men and women alike.

  • How political is stand-up comedy in India?

I have a strange way of looking at everything. Some would say the AIB roast wasn’t political but it was – they spoke about gay relationships and pre-marital sex. These may seem inconsequential but they affect certain groups that would view it as a step forward.

In my own act, I tend to stick with gender politics but I definitely lost my mind over the beef ban and now this idiotic ban on porn sites.

  • How important is it for comedy to be political?

 I would say it is mainly for variety – how many jokes about Yo Mama can we take?  I’m not sure if the obvious idea that comedy softens the blow, applies in India.

  • We know there is a large number of liberal comics (writers and performers) in India. But are there any conservative comics in the country? If yes, please name a few.

Wow – great question. Not that I am aware of but then again I haven’t studied everyone’s work.

  • Where would you place yourself on our liberal–conservative scale?

Extreme Liberal. Flag waving. Chest thumping

The author can be contacted on Twitter @amiham_singh
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