Sometimes, words alone aren’t enough to confront uncomfortable truths. Sometimes, it takes satire to make the point land. For centuries, clowns have questioned kings, mocked authority and said things others could not through satire. Actor and theatre practitioner Maya S Krishnan sees her popular alter ego, Manjula Teacher, as part of that tradition – using humour, sarcasm and absurdity to challenge patriarchy and the everyday ‘rules and regulations’ that society imposes on women. Bringing humour and social commentary to BLR Comedy Club on Brigade Road, through her theatrical standup show Pomblel (women) this Saturday, the Bigg Boss fame will take the stage to challenge power and question social conditioning, all through her sharp-tongued, delightfully chaotic character.
The seeds of the character were planted during Krishnan’s time inside the Bigg Boss Tamil house, where she often found herself confronting sexist remarks and misogynistic behaviour. But direct confrontation came with consequences. “Inside the house, I was shocked to see audiences rooting for someone who was openly misogynistic and cruel,” she recalls, adding, “Every time I took a straightforward approach and said, ‘You can’t talk like this to women,’ I was called angry, loud or aggressive.”
What began as a response to those experiences eventually evolved into Manjula Teacher, a satirical clown who says directly what women are often criticised for saying. “When women speak up directly, people often don’t like it. By the time I reached Day 50, I realised I had to change my approach. People who disliked me when I was angry started enjoying the same criticism when it came through comedy,” she says. Having completed her engineering degree in Bengaluru, Krishnan emerged as the second runner-up of Bigg Boss Tamil in 2023.
Having travelled extensively for performances across India and abroad, she credits theatre for shaping not just her craft but her understanding of people and society. “Theatre is not just my job; it is my lifestyle. Theatre taught me politics, perspective and empathy. It taught me what should be questioned and how to look at things differently, “ she says.
Unlike conventional standup comedy, Pomblel thrives on unpredictability. While the show follows a carefully written structure, audience interactions account for nearly 40 per cent of the performance, which is improvised on stage.
The freedom the character offers lies central to its appeal. Through Manjula, she can ask uncomfortable questions in ways that might otherwise seem difficult. “I didn’t create Manjula to be funny. I created her to question. Our first video went viral and that gave us the confidence to keep exploring the character,” Krishnan shares.
She also believes working in reverse. “I fixed the premiere date before I began thinking about the show. I announced it, and three of them were sold out, and only after that did I start writing and creating the piece,” she says, adding, “It was stressful, but it also pushed us to create. Sometimes you need a deadline to work towards. I wanted to find the state of the character first, go with wherever my flow takes me without judging it too soon and completely surrender to the process.”
As the audience walk to Pomblel, she hopes them to leave with a question that has always been simple and recurring for her: If men are allowed to do something, why can’t women? Who made these rules and why do they continue to exist?