BENGALURU: What complements a duo of standup comedians who don’t pull any punches as they lampoon the government’s decisions and policies? Turns out, the frontman of a fusion rock band works quite well.
Bengalureans watched a unique performance on Saturday evening. Stand-up comedians Varun Grover and Sanjay Rajoura presented a satire on socio-political issues, using real news stories as well as personal experiences as fodder to leave the audience in splits. The novelty was brought in in the form of songs in between, whose lyrics mirrored what the comedians had just said. And it helped that the songs were sung by Rahul Ram — vocalist, bassist and the most popular figure of the long-running fusion rock band Indian Ocean.
For instance, after the duo mocked at length the country’s buffaloes for being ‘ignored' in comparison to cows in spite of doing the same work (which they attributed to racism), Ram, strumming his guitar, crooned a song in which the speaker asked God to make him a cow in the next birth.
The act, termed ‘Aisi Taisi Democracy’, and also referred to as a ‘MusiCom,’ touched upon relevant topics such as border relations, intolerance, politics and policies. As a description of the act on a website rightly states, the act is “not recommended for those who are easily offended,” and indeed, Grover and Rajoura did not hold themselves back.
For example, referring to Amit Shah’s presence in the city, Rajoura remarked how the ‘aisi taisi’ (falling apart) of democracy was happening in another part of town too.
The two comedians delivered their lines in contrasting fashions. While Grover spoke with a bemused expression, appearing to enjoy his own jokes too, Rajoura, on the other hand, maintained an angry face throughout, reflecting his frustrations at the happenings in the country.
Speaking about the inception of the concept prior to the show, Rahul Ram credited the organisers Red FM for the idea. He said, “People want to listen to comedy and then go somewhere where they want to listen to music and have a drink. So we’re putting it up together for them.” And when it was pointed out that drinks were still missing at the venue — St John’s auditorium in Koramangala, Ram quipped, “St John’s will have a fit.”
The ‘MusiCom’ was followed by the Indian Ocean enthralling the audience with their popular numbers. The act was scheduled to perform at five other cities across the country.