CHENNAI: From the endogamous underpinnings of Bharatanatyam’s close-knit sabhas, to fair-skinned Hindispeaking actresses being cast as Tamizh women in Kollywood’s kukk grammams, to the privileged castes holding dominance over India’s journalism — there is much to be desired in terms of representation. While, in recent years, the discourse on representation has taken on a life of its own, not many seem to be adherents of the “show, don’t tell” axiom.
Well, not comedian Gurumurthy Rathnam. While artists across several fields have been called out for being ignorant of their privilege, here’s one putting it to active use with Kalai Va Nee. High on the success of its maiden venture, the art festival returns for a second season with a bigger cast — all in the interest of offering a safe performing space for artists marginalised by gender, caste, religion or sexual orientation. The festival has grown much since the first edition aired.
“During the first time, I did 30-minute sets every day. The supporting artist for every day that week was someone from a marginalised community. I began to question why I should take up so much time while the others had only 10-15 minutes split among them. It didn’t do justice to my beliefs. So I decided to bring in more performers to the stage,” he explains. This week, Gurumurthy may be performing only on a couple of days but other comics, musicians, poets, a dancer and even a storyteller will regale you.
Tapping on topics
Gurumurthy’s festival also aims to address another least discussed aspect of the entertainment industry — how unsafe it can get for women and people from other oppressed backgrounds. “The discussion remains about who does what kind of comedy and if it’s any good. And the problem is not just about assault or harassment, but extends to representation in art. If there are seven male performers and only one female performer, the woman invariably experiences discomfort.
This was made apparent to me only after a female comic told me about her first experience with stand-up,” he elaborates. This is much worse when it comes to people from oppressed castes for not many of them have even made it to the field to experience such treatment, he points out. This was all the more reason to reach out to them for Kalai Va Nee. “Nearly 80-90 per cent of the performers, including me, are from a privileged caste. A lot of their jokes are centred on painting their caste in pride.
While an upper caste performer does not face any problem in announcing his caste identity, people from oppressed castes face exclusion and discrimination when they assert their identity. It was to break that to a certain extent that invitations for the show were through a Google Form, but assured that those from marginalised communities will get first preference, no questions asked,” he says. Gurumurthy doesn’t just want to offer a space free of abuse or harassment for performers; it is also for the audience members to be entertained without being afraid of what is going to be said.
“For instance, if a homophobic joke is being made, the LGBTQIA+ community people in the audience will be affected. On the performers’ side, if there’s proper representation from all fronts, they know the struggles that a person from that community faces, and will be inclusive while performing. This is almost like reservation in education system and jobs,” he says.
A safe space
Srimathi Gopalakrishnan, who will be returning for the second season, thinks this is as imperative as it gets. “We have a moral obligation to create more safe performing spaces for artists and audience. In the current climate, where hatred and bigotry is in the air and harassment is an open secret, it is imperative that we not only create more spaces for the oppressed but also ensure that they are safe,” she offers. While comedian Vikas Muralidharan does feel that he could do with more stage time, he recognises that the space is not as diverse as it should be.
Shows like Kalai Va Nee are an important step in that direction, he adds. “The politics and pain of oppression exist in every human endeavour today — the only question is whether we recognise it or not,” he suggests. While the intention behind this initiative stems from social responsibility, the same extends to his work too. For Gurumurthy places as much importance in ‘stand-up’ — standing up for something — as much as he does in ‘comedy’. Far from dealing with the politics of the powers that be, he tries to address the systems of violence — patriarchy, casteism, ableism — that we encounter every day. But, here too, he acknowledges his place of privilege.
“I can’t talk about how women have it bad because they have it bad from men. So I try to criticise men. Same applies to caste too — instead of trying to talk about Dalits who are discriminated against, I criticise the ones in power,” he notes. You’re sure to get more of that in this week’s Kalai Va Nee. Vikas and Srimathi too assure that it’s going to be a power- packed week that you shouldn’t miss. Well, it’s our turn to find out what all this is about.
The show runs till August 22. Tickets are available from Rs 99 at https://linktr.ee/KalaiVaNee