Tanmay Bhat who faced much flak to say the least, for his Snapchat video on Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar is interestingly, not the only comedian to have chosen the two Marathi greats as his mu
Tanmay Bhat who faced much flak to say the least, for his Snapchat video on Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar is interestingly, not the only comedian to have chosen the two Marathi greats as his muse for his material. One may point out here, that some of the most popular television shows such as Comedy Nights With Kapil and Comedy Nights Bachao have often resorted to ridiculing women from the fraternity.
Kiku Sharda from Kapil’s team however, fiercely defends his act. “There is a huge difference between what we do on TV and what Tanmay Bhat did. There is a fine line that one shouldn’t cross. We need to see whom we are spoofing and the body of work they have. We need to be careful when we make jokes about Lataji or Sachin. Even Sugandha Mishra mimics Lata Mangeshkar at award functions, but no one takes offence because it’s not in bad taste. Sachin Tendulkar has been mimicked many times and no one took offence because the artists knew what they were doing. Subtlety and wittiness in jokes is always welcome, crudity isn’t. The best Tanmay can do is apologise.”
Comedian Gaurav Gera points out that television shows often take permission from celebrities before making a joke about them. “I think the whole Tanmay Bhat issue has gone out of hand, with political parties looking to file an FIR. I am a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar, so I personally didn’t enjoy the video. Having said that, I think it is fine to impersonate actors and icons. If you don’t like the content, don’t watch it or share it. It’s that simple. Now, with TV shows, these celebrities have given their consent for the script. If there is something the actors are uncomfortable with, it is removed from the script — not all of it is impromptu. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say that makes a world of a difference. I don’t personally advocate such humour. Personally, you may not enjoy this brand of humour, but your likes/dislikes cannot be imposed on others. There will be people who enjoy such shows/content. You can’t put them in the dock for it.”
Suresh Menon who has previously mimicked Sachin Tendulkar adds, “The best we would do is ignore the joke and not talk about it. By still giving it so much importance, we are sidelining other important issues. I saw the video and there was stuff like death involved. In today’s day and age with the advent of social media the world has become an unhappier space. Imitation is the best form of flattery, but I haven’t seen anyone saying why don’t you die. People these days get offended with anything, so I avoid religion. I guess now I’ll have to start talking about, vegetables and clothes so that people don’t get offended. Cupboards and hanger won’t come complaining right ”
