Queens of comedy take over the stage this Navratri

Organised as part of Wandering Artist’s Navratri theme, Celebrating Shakti, a salute to women and female perspectives, the all women stand-up comedy will feature Syama Harini, Saadiya Ali and Niveditha Prakasam. 

“Navratri is usually a traditional celebration with Kolu dolls and poojas and things like that. So, it’s interesting that we have been brought together to do something out of the box, like a stand-up act, this time for the festival. The fact that it is an all-women show, even though there are very few women comedians in the city, makes it that much more special,” explains Syama. 

The three women would be performing individual sets for the festival, each belonging to a different style of comedy. While Niveditha’s performance would be based on college life, Chennai and her personal life stories, Syama’s set would comprise economics and the taboo of sanitary pads. 

Saadiya on the other hand calls her content “theatrical” and points out most of her content would be about her parents, religion and being a single young girl. Both Niveditha and Saadiya are finalists of the popular standup show, Queens of Comedy. 

Talking about how she came into the stand-up arena, Saadiya explains, “Being from a theatre field, I was looking for an excuse to just be on stage more (I’m pretty narcissistic that way) and, for anybody who is a little whacked in the head, but too broke to go to a therapist, stand -up comedy is the perfect opportunity. I can’t just go to the streets and hit people or try to kill people (because I’m tiny and will get beaten up), this is a better way to get my frustration out. I can practically say anything about anyone and then back it up with, ‘Hey, I was just joking’ and get away with it!” “There are a lot of female comedians in Bengaluru and Mumbai, but not in Chennai. 

So there are not many people aspiring female comedians can look up to here. Added to that stand-up comedy is intimidating for anybody because cracking a joke on stage and not getting laughs can get on your nerves. But, just like any other field, women have to work a little harder because we don’t really have an audience. The audience for stand-up is mostly men, so it’s easier for them to relate to a man’s content than to a woman’s. Once more women start attending stand-up shows, then opportunities for women comedians will also go up,” explains Niveditha. 

Syama agrees and adds, “Most organisers are looking for female performers because they want something different. As long as you keep your content to relatable things, you do get your laughs. It’s only when you speak about subjects like sanitary napkins and such that people are reluctant. Otherwise, I think female comedians can have a great run in this arena. All they have to do is come out and perform.” 

Saadiya points out, “Live shows are still better because people are encouraging. They have paid money and taken out the time to come and see your show, so they will laugh. But online, you get at least 2 million comments under every video saying, ‘Oh my god, women aren’t actually funny, or ‘Women can’t tell jokes.’ The irony of all this is that these people (and it’s both men and women) have never written a joke or performed before a mike ever in their life. So, you learn to ignore them. In the end, I’m not a superhero trying to save the world and it doesn’t matter if they like me.”