LOL
F O S E I D LA R E T H G U LA
Designer- Aastha Bairolia
Think about the times when you had to hide the whispers away in the four walls of the house, tucked inside the cupboards or into the secret gossips of the female members. How restricted were you told to be! In this issue, we bring to you the notoriously amazing female stand-up comedians who instead of shying away from the social issues faced by women, come into the spotlight and overtly talk about it, from all the aspects necessary in order to educate the masses through their wit and satirical way of speech and to give power to the female gender, each one in their own way. Moving on, we hope you have as much fun reading this newsletter as we had while making it! -the editors
editorial
a small note by our editors
on the house notes from the classmates
much ado news at it’s best
ITL
in twitter life
ink recommends
handpicked recomendations of the best comedians ever!
Why don’t you have a go at comedy? They said. You’re ridiculously funny, they said. You really can render people breathless with your jests, they said. This wasn’t contrary to what she had been hearing for quite some time now. She wasn’t altogether oblivious to the fact that she could make people laugh and guffaw with her words. She rather had a knack for it. But do women even do that? Pursue comedy as a profession? Get up there alongside the men in the field and unleash their wordplay and wit? They don’t. Of course they don’t! They don’t? Comedy has garnered immense popularity in the recent years. People have begun to acknowledge, value and admire various forms of comical entertainment. They’ve grown to especially appreciate stand-up form of comedy, alt comedy, deadpan humour, improv, slapstick, sketch and even satirical comedy! And whilst these forms deserve every iota of attention coming their way, it is also true that the presence of men in this field is mind-bogglingly more than that of women. Albeit, why? Comedy isn’t ballroom dancing. One doesn’t have to do it with a guy partner who insists on leading all the way! It is an art form. If you’re good at it, you might as well give it a go. The reason why we picked ‘LOL (Ladies of Laughter)’ as this week’s theme for the newsletter must be quite lucid by now. We believe that comedy should make you laugh. Whether a man or a woman makes that happen is completely irrelevant. Ergo, this issue highlights women who have shattered the stereotypes of being only kind, dainty, and beautiful and have emerged as bold, intimidating and uncompromising women-comedians the world needs! -Gauri Sawant and Jinal Baxi.
QUEENS OF COMEDY -Ruchi Shukla
Indian female stand-up comedians who changed the perspective towards comedy. A powerful wave of women in comedy has gained major traction in India over the last few years. From female desire, to unplanned pregnancy; from menstruation to arranged marriage, India’s comedians are giving a voice to women’s issues previously too taboo for public discussion —AND THEY ARE BEING HEARD. Not only is their content itself radical but it is also empowered by the speed and scale of the internet. Their work reaches hundreds of thousands of people across the country as soon as it’s uploaded, and thus has the potential to become a major driving force for change in the way that society sees women. Radhika Vaz Through live acts and YouTube videos, Radhika Vaz addresses a range of provocative issues like the sexism of prevailing religious practices like Karva Chauth, where women fast for the well-being of their husbands, or on topics such as pornography and marijuana. In her award winning web series, ‘Shugs and Fats’, Vaz and her creative partner, Nadia Manzoor “walk the line between hipsters and hijabis,” by playing Muslim women on a quest to reconcile their cultural beliefs in a “liberated” Brooklyn. Vaz was among the first female comedians from India to have an international following. Sumukhi Suresh In her latest web series, Sumukhi Suresh plays Behti Naak, a precocious 10 year old with a runny nose, who “minds her business until someone messes with her.” Her brand of humour engages social issues that are otherwise either too contentious or too personal to be discussed, particularly in Hindi, a language whose hallmark is euphemism. When provoked by her parents,
teachers or peers, a deadpan Behti provides scathingly honest insights on India’s problematic attitudes to marriage, misogyny, infidelity, domestic abuse, racism, sexism and homosexuality, in gritty, vintage style black and white videos. Mallika Dua Mallika Dua began her comedy career simply by posting short videos of herself on Snapchat and Instagram, quickly becoming a national sensation. While she’s championed important issues around gender and sexuality, her work also celebrates the idiosyncrasies of Indian identity, particularly those of the Delhi-Punjabi community. Her exaggerated imitations of Delhi girls are a loving tribute, and her critique of India’s contemporary urban youth reveals the materialism of our aspirations or the clash between our desire to appear liberal and our deep-rooted attachment to parochial traditions. Her most powerful ammunitions are her keen powers of observation and imitation which result in a disarming ability to make people laugh at themselves. Earlier this month, Mallika Dua, Kaneez Surka and Sumukhi Suresh collaborated on a YouTube sketch called ‘A Woman’s Besties’, which takes the form of an imagined conversation between a woman who fears she might be pregnant, and the most intimate parts of her body — personified. This video, which tackles everything from the mechanics of female pleasure, to the importance of safe sex, has been viewed almost 2 million times. In a society where openly discussing the nuances of female sexuality or the prevailing double standards around gender roles is almost unheard of, I feel proud seeing these women breaking down these issues loudly and clearly, and standing up for themselves and all of womankind, they are just the revolutionaries we need !
The Mittal-
Most people in our country aren’t aware about stand-up er to change the opinions of people, making them aware and it also plays an important role in raising awareness different perspective. Amongst the comedians, my personal favorite and the an stand up comedians. She quit her job in New York to stand up comedians by TOI. Her stand up comedy style is just outstanding, as she c that most people aren’t ready to talk about and gives a credibly strong personality and has also given a TED ta roast, and some through her brilliant Netflix special ‘Th For me, she definitely helped realise that stand up come lives too.
Another comedian I want to give a shout out to is Kane from Rhodes university, she came to Mumbai during he theatre in New York to study improv comedy. She is no has worked with AIB , Kenny Sebastian and many more amongst the best improv comedian we have. It requires this girl has what it takes to tickle your funny bone.
l-Surka Saga -Guest article by Unnat Antani
p comedy and many underestimate it. However, this art has the powe about the social issues through humour and satire s about the same. It also helps us to view our everyday life with a
most recognized is Aditi Mittal. She is one of the first female Indio pursue this dream and was nominated as one of the top 10 Indian
challenges the social stigmas head on. By openly joking about things picture about how women are depicted in our society. She has an inalk. Some may remember her as the only lady in the panel of the AIB hings They Wouldn’t let me say’. edy is not just like any other mode of entertainment, it can change
eez Surka. After completing her graduation in Law and Psychology er break to pursue a career in acting. Soon after, she joined Magnet oted for her work in ‘The week that wasn’t with Cyrus Broacha’. She e notable artists. Having seen her shows live, I can say that she is s incredible wit to come up with something funny in an instant and
WITTY WOMAN
-Zainab Noorbhay
Tina Fey, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is most well-known for writing and co-starring in the hit movie ‘Mean Girls’. Fey broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group ‘The Second City’. She then went on to join SNL as a writer and then a head writer and a performer. Tina left SNL in 2006 after which she made a comedy show ‘30 Rock’ which was loosely based on her experiences at 30 Rock. Later she went on to star in the comedy film ‘Date Night’. In 2015, she created and produced the television series ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ which garnered rave reviews and was eventually picked up by Netflix. In 2013, Fey hosted the 70th Golden Globe award with her gal pal, Amy Poehler. While being a part of The Second City, Fey submitted several scripts to NBC’s variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL), at the request of its head writer Adam McKay, a former performer at Second City. She was hired as a writer and moved to NYC from Chicago. Fey originally struggled at SNL. Fey went on to write a series of parodies, including one of ABC’s morning talk show ‘The View’. When McKay stepped down as head writer in 1999, Fey was approached for the position, making her the first female head writer for that year! In 2001, Fey and the rest of the writing staff won a Writers Guild of America Award for SNL’s 25th anniversary special. The following year at the 2002 Emmy Awards ceremony, they won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. Also, in recent years Fey published her autobiography ‘Bossypants’ which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks. She is a recipient of nine Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards. Fey is known for her deadpan humor and delivery; her “sardonic wit” has become a trademark of hers, upon which several critics have commented in their reviews of Fey’s work!
Ladies with the Last Laugh ( Some Feminal Ticklers of SNL)
-Gauri Sawant
If a tiny dose of comedy lifts up your spirit and makes your day, these ludicrously funny women comedians and their comedy mustn’t have escaped you. If you claim yourself to be a sketch comedy enthusiast, these super women of comedy definitely left you in splits whilst you were witnessing their uproarious sketches. If you’re familiar with ‘Saturday Night Live’ (or SNL), there is no way you’d not be familiar with Amy Poehler or Tina Fey or Kristen Wiig or even the very amusing Leslie Jones! An actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer, Amy Poehler is one of those funny women who triumphed in the otherwise male dominated field of comedy. If you’ve already watched the wonder that is Leslie Knope on ‘Parks and Recreation’, it is tacitly agreed upon that comedy probably comes naturally to Amy Poehler. Poehler joined the cast of SNL in 2001 and was soon after promoted from a featured to a full cast member in her first season of the show. She had replaced the newly departed Jimmy Fallon on the sketch ‘Weekend Update’ which she co-anchored with Tina Fey. The audience, undoubtedly, took a liking to the emerging comic. “Amy performed in a way that you could tell she was having fun– pure confidence and joy,” said Bill Hader, who was in the SNL cast at the same time. There is no reason for anyone to deny that everything this SNL alum touches turns into goddamn comedy gold! Another reason to love Amy- “She’s my Han Solo and I’m her Chewbacca, because she’s the only one who can understand me sometimes, and I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt her.” - Amy Poehler on Tina Fey. Is she the sweetest or what?! Amongst the newer cast members, Leslie Jones, is another audience favourite. In 2014, Jones got out of the writers’ room and in front of the cameras when she first performed in SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’ segment, which quickly earned her a fan following. Her sketches are characterized by sarcasm, slapstick comedy and strong hyper verbal style of stand-up that is
sometimes called alt comedy. Her show is more like a semi-improvised concert. Jones’ addition marks the first time in SNL history that the show’s cast has included more than one African-American woman. Jones, owing to her African identity, unsurprisingly has been a recipient of backlash and hate messages on social media. However, embracing her African roots, she said, “People used to call me names so my mom had this beautiful African lady come talk to me. I was like, ‘Oh my God if I’m going to look like you then I don’t care what anyone says about me.” Like many others, Jones generates most of her material in performance, discovering funny phrases and gestures onstage! Kristen Wiig of the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise is another big name in the SNL alumni list. Also a writer, producer and an actress, Kristen Wiig is a comedy treasure. For seven seasons on SNL, she perfected impressions and created some of TV’s most unforgettable characters like the Target lady! The road to Wiig’s wild success is paved with hundreds of perfectly hilarious moments. Her perfect portrayal of characters in the sketches was most loved by the audience. For women, comedy was hard to come by because of sexist rules among those who usually devised comedy shows. There have always been funny women, but only a handful made it to the mainstream and hence these are the token ladies on lists otherwise populated by men. However that’s slowly changing with a considerable number of women venturing into this field and reigning over the comedy world!
The ‘F**k Gender
In 2015, I did my first stand-up comedy show skirt that day. Lots of comedians performed before m ing a skirt is’, and ‘how comfortable he looks despite irritable about the fact that something as simple as a the stage, I dropped my skit and started picking on t act asking them directly if they go to their mothers/ found them? Then the jokes kept coming, I kept pick girls in the audience loved it and most men didn’t. Q Shortly after that I travelled to Ladakh with m situated at about 16000 feet, I knew this was just th got my skirt out and changed there, much to the sur I was going to get into one in such a chilly weather). and explained it in brief (but not in briefs!). Some w of me wearing the skirt. Later, I added quotes that I ~~~ Why did I make these pictures? Simple! Aware logue is that place. One of my friends once asked me enquiring. He observed that I kept talking about equ
r Norm’ Project -Guest article by Kunal Mithrill
in New York. For some reason (which I can’t recall) I was wearing a me and at least four of them pointed out how ‘brave that chap weare wearing a skirt’. It drew some laughs. I was both amused and a bit a skirt could draw so much of people’s attention. When I went onto he comedians who had found the skirt and me wearing it a ‘brave’ sisters/ girlfriends and tell them just how brave these Sherlocks ing apart gender observations for the next 6 minutes. Interestingly, Quite telling that is! y scouted-out rainbow coloured skirt. When I reached Somorili lake, e place where I wanted to snap some ‘F**k gender norm’ pictures. I prise of my friends (who didn’t know that I had a skirt, let alone that I told them I was going to do a set of pictures based on the concept ere excited and said they would help and we took about 100 pictures thought would match the pictures and made some copies of it.
eness, conversation. We need to start somewhere and I believe a diae, Do I really think all men are a******s? I asked him his reason for ality and feminism and the like. This was my explanation to him:
Let me ask you this via an analogy. Let’s say you and you crash quite badly. You tell the company and the with great brakes. That is a known fact. Now… what if failure and subsequent crashes? What do you think will all the cars of that model to fix it. Now here’s a questio women? Not the extremely violent men, just the daily e My friend was stumped. He tried to find a way aro ones? Sexual abuse (including but not only rape). How replied in negative as expected. I asked him to reach ou out, especially post dusk and why they would do that an To me one thing is quite certain. If there is more e has worked on equality (Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denm essentially based on control). I do understand why men they treat others. Nonetheless, to me the way forward drop gender norms.
buy a Mercedes, and while testing it and driving fast, the brakes fail ey tell you, it’s your fault, because they at Mercedes make great cars 10 other Mercedes of the same model have the exact same brake happen? It would be a huge scandal and Mercedes will have to recall n to you. How many men do you think are abusive/ violent towards ve teasers, the mansplainers and the kind. ound it. I continued my questioning, ‘What about the more extreme safe does he feel from being molested? Does he ever worry?’ He ut to his female friends and ask if any of them check before stepping nd not him. Just ask, perhaps it may lead to an insight. equality, there is a chance for more peace. Every single country that mark) has less violence and (not ironically) less religion (which is n fear losing control, for they fear they will be treated as poorly as for peace is through equality and to bring about equality we need to
1) Kaneez Surkha’s General Fun Game Show
2) Neeti Palta’s ‘Big Fat Indian Weddings’
3) Chelsea Peretti’s Netflix Special: One of the Greats
5) THEM WITTY WOMEN YOU CAN FOLLOW ON TWITTER!! -JENNY SLATE (@jennyslate) -CHRISSY TEIGEN (@ch
4) Leslie Jones: Problem Child
-MARIETTA SIRLEAF (@unfoRETTAble)
Editors: Jinal Baxi & Gauri Sawant Designed by: Aastha Bairolia
“I was not aware, when I started out, that a woman doing comedy was supposed to be as rare as a monkey being able to quote Shakespeare” – Aditi Mittal Designer- Aastha Bairolia