After a much-needed break, Rohan Joshi is back with his almost hour-long stand-up special Wake N' Bake on Amazon Prime. Released on January 10, this was Rohan's first solo gig post AIB’s dissolution as it ran into troubled waters during #MeToo. However, if you still haven’t had the chance or time to watch it, here are a few reasons you must!
Age gap does not mean generation gap
For starters, let's get this out of the way - Rohan Joshi is 36 years old. Yes, thirty-six years old. Why is this relevant or even necessary? Simple, because he brought it up more times than one can count, dedicating at least a good 20 minutes of his show to it.
So, in case you ever forget how old he is, instead of a quick Wikipedia search, you can just re-watch Wake N' Bake and you're good to go.
But hold on, it’s not the self-deprecatory 'I am so old' jokes you’ll hear. Instead, Rohan addressed his ‘mid-30s crisis’ with pragmatism and sans self-pity which, to his credit, are attributes millennials connect with.
WATCH CLIP HERE:
From discussing his 'bhaiya'-to-'uncle' transition and the perks and problems that come with it to applying logical reasoning skills on where to draw the line as the 'responsible adult' in the room, he seemed to have all the answers.
‘Ten-year patriarchy grace period’
There’s barely any single bhartiya naari who has ever escaped the "Don't you want to get married?” question, but Rohan made it very clear that even middle-aged men who are past their “ten-year patriarchy grace period” were stuck in the same boat.
Relatability aside, the acknowledgement of how society cuts men some slack for the same reasons it chooses to shame and label women, coming from a man, made for a very refreshing watch.
SSC < All other choices?
Subtlety could be Rohan Joshi’s middle name. In his own way, he didn’t spare the Indian education system either, the Maharashtra state board (Secondary School Certificate) specifically. Hear it from the man himself.
WATCH CLIP HERE:
“I don’t know” – Privilege meter check
But that's not all. In a country where politicians often provide comic relief and people expect accountability aka ‘opinions’ on current affairs from comedians, Rohan explained why sometimes it is better to take a step or two back before passing any judgements, especially when you rank high on the privilege meter.
Given how India's current charged-up political scenario has compelled everyone to become vocal, Joshi makes a sound argument about holding back an opinion when you've primarily led a sheltered life and are not sufficiently informed.
As an “urban, South Bombay born, Hindu, upper-caste, cisgender, fair-skinned man” (not in that particular order) himself, Rohan emphasises how an “I don’t know” makes more sense than passing half-baked remarks when you haven't experienced the struggles and tribulations of the have-nots.
While ‘privilege’ has come to be a bad word of sorts in the present day, the cherry on the cake for Wake N' Bake was when Rohan offered a moral lesson on how it's actually a reality of life for many people but need not necessarily be a demon if you know how to own up to it.