Friday, Mar 29, 2024 | Last Update : 07:38 AM IST

  No laughing matter

No laughing matter

Published : May 31, 2016, 10:24 pm IST
Updated : May 31, 2016, 10:24 pm IST

Tanmay Bhat’s Snapchat video has become the big talking point, drawing both flak and support. A few of his fellow comedians go ‘huh ’ over the brouhaha

TANMAY3.jpg
 TANMAY3.jpg

Tanmay Bhat’s Snapchat video has become the big talking point, drawing both flak and support. A few of his fellow comedians go ‘huh ’ over the brouhaha

Comedian Tanmay Bhat’s video of a mock conversation between veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar and cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar has become an overnight national outrage. While the Twitterati have been giving him flak, fellow comedians have come out in support of him and his freedom of speech. Titled “Sachin v/s Lata Civil War”, the video posted on Facebook by the comedian saw him taking digs at the 86-year-old singer and 43-year-old cricketer.

The drama has gone beyond all conceivable time limits, says stand-up comedian Sorabh Pant. “The video should have blown away in less time than a Snapchat video lasts. It’s fascinating how in India people will take up for legends and gods even when the legends and gods themselves do not seem to care at all. Because, as far as I know, Lata Mangeshkar has not had her name removed as singer from the song Ajeeb dastan hai yeh nor are Sachin’s tremendous knocks in the Sharjah semi-finals and finals being removed because of one silly joke by a 26-year-old,” he adds.

Agreeing with him, stand-up comedian Neeti Palta says, “I woe the state of affairs where a 30-second video clip catches more attention and draws more outrage than farmer suicides. Whether it was in good taste or bad is immaterial since humour is subjective. AIB is known for its brand of controversial humour. So why is this any different ”

People have a right to dislike a joke. They have a right to be offended by Tanmay’s video, but they don’t have the right to respond with violence and threats, points out comedian Varun Thakur. “It is ridiculous how everyone has jumped on board. It seems like people were just waiting for an outrage. I find it hilarious that a Snapchat story has become national news. It’s also sad to know that every single thing you put on the Internet can cause offence — and people are getting more and more intolerant by the day.”

Neeti adds that every comedian has his or her own moral compass. She avers, “For me, my measure is if I can’t tell a joke with my parents in the audience, then I don’t tell it at all. It’s very difficult to have a strong sense of humour without also having a strong sense of self. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. Like a joke, hate a joke. But how can anyone justify physical threats against a comedian People making hate speeches, inciting violence are roaming free but comedians are in the hot seat for a bad joke that at worst leaves a bad taste in the mouth.”

With the subjects of Tanmay’s humour in mind, Sorabh points out, “It is important to understand that certain people are legends because they rise above being mere mortals. And, they also rise above stupidity whether from comedians or the people ‘supporting’ them. The MNS saying they’ll thrash Tanmay etc. is completely deplorable but wholly expected and completely unsurprising, primarily because as John Stewart said, ‘Comedians are told to have responsibility, but, politicians never are.’ Especially when those politicians have dandas and an army of angry supporters whereas all an artiste has is him/herself.”

Varun states that as educated people, comedians know their social responsibility and will never create a set that will cause disharmony in society. “Most comedians prepare their act based on a real life situation. Some work amazingly well with the audience and some don’t. Until and unless the act incites any kind of violence, I feel it is okay if humour loses its laugh,” he opines.

The kind of reaction this whole situation has received, has become a joke in itself, points out Abijit Ganguly. “It’s just a funny Snapchat video and we need to let it be. I’m really not getting what’s so offensive about the whole thing,” he says.

He adds, “Saying Lata Mangeshkar is old is not a joke, it’s a fact. In fact, there are way more crude jokes cracked in inner circles about L.K. Advani and others. It’s just become the nation’s time pass to get offended and create a ruckus. What’s even funnier is the fact that Snapchat itself is an app that has videos that are active only for 24 hours. But somehow, as a nation we seem to have taken that as a challenge and are just happy hyping up this really small thing in all ways possible.”

Varun adds, “If someone is making silly videos with their friends at two in the morning, must they be sentenced As for those news channels that claimed as fact that Tanmay was asking Snapchat for money for his promotion of the app, they are the real comedians. It was just a sarcastic comment from him.”

Sorabh says that judging every English comedian in India based on a 15-second video is not correct. He says, “There are different styles of comedy across the country. Tanmay has an in-your-face, larger than life and edgy style of comedy, others don’t. He has a fan base that loves him and I love watching him on stage as well. Since the video has been published, comedians are being termed a group of ‘bimaar’, ‘perverted’ and disgusting people. Judging an entire industry on the basis of a video that shouldn’t have been seen by more than a handful of people, is just ridiculous.”