BENGALURU: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has been released from judicial custody after spending a month behind bars, for a joke that he did not crack. Legally, the case was razor-thin, and yet he was painted as a villain, and accused of trying to spread disharmony in society. It is easy to jump the gun and blame the government of being autocratic in its views. But I would request you to look at the matter through another lens. It was actually a technique by the higher authorities to hone and nurture stand-up comedians.
As one of the oldest civilisations on earth, we have carried forward the tradition of scriptures by having our governments decide for us what is funny, and what is offensive. When I started doing stand-up comedy, we had to worry about a joke being unfunny. But these days, we have to write keeping an imaginary uncle in mind – one who might get offended and launch into a Twitter rant.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that we are moving backwards as a society when it comes to our attitudes towards humour. Some of the funniest scenes in our comedy films would be considered offensive by either the Right or the Left. Take the Draupadi scene from the iconic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron – it is impossible to pull that off in today’s times. Crime Master Gogo from Andaz Apna Apna would have to be politically correct. If released today, Hera Pheri’s Babu Bhaiyya would be accused of caricaturing Marathi people insensitively.
Plato once said that even the gods love jokes. But Plato wasn’t around to observe our godmen. Comedian Kiku Sharda went to jail for impersonating a godman on a comedy show. One would assume godmen have overcome their worldly attachments, leave alone getting offended over a joke. But then, when godmen are on YouTube and Instagram, what stops them from joining the long queue of the offended?
And come to think of it, a jail term might be all the grind that a stand-up comedian needs. When we attend open mics, it is to hone our jokes in front of tough crowds. And what can be a tougher crowd than thieves and murderers? When a comic performs well, they are said to have ‘killed’ or ‘destroyed’. What could be a greater challenge than trying to kill in front of actual killers and destroyers? As comedians, we are trying to build a reputation for ourselves.
Munawar will now have his reputation precede him – every person he meets, every project he takes up, forever, till his final day. In fact, I’d recommend the government starts a new scheme – Pradhan Mantri Hasyakavi Berozgaari Yojana – where comedians can crack a joke, and then spend time in jail. Stream it live as part of Digital India, and market it as a version of Bigg Boss – but with comedians in jail for the jokes they cracked.
If it seems like a grouse I nurse against the Right, you couldn’t be more mistaken. The Indian Left has mastered the art of getting offended, case in point being last week’s issue against the Myntra logo. In India, the Left and the Right combine forces to take offence to jokes. It’s the kind of ideological amalgamation that Nehru would be proud of. And saddled between the Left and the Right are comedians, who are standing with a mic, meekly trying to convey the state of affairs with punchlines. A good laugh heals a lot of hurts, they say. What they don’t tell you is that a good laugh hurts a lot of heels.
(The author’s views are his own)