Indian female comics take centre stage – no subject is taboo as they joke about Tinder, periods and arranged marriages

In India, comedians have traditionally been men and jokes were made from a male perspective – but a growing group of women comedians are taking to the stage

Nothing is taboo – they discuss everything from receiving sexts to arranged marriages to menstruation

Reading Time:5 minutes

Women like Aditi Mittal are taking centre stage as stand-up comedians in India.

Published: 8:45am, 25 Feb 2021Updated: 11:54am, 3 Mar 2021

Female Indian comedians are disproving the myths that women can’t be funny and that comedy is the domain of men.

For them nothing is taboo – sexuality, pregnancy, menstruation, arranged marriages, casual sex, body shaming and virginity are all subjects for jokes. They ignore prevailing traditions and poke fun at the rampant sexism and patriarchy in the conservative nation of 1.3 billion people.

Neeti Palta takes aim at the patriarchy, while Syama Harini’s potshots at menstruation shame have resonated with audiences. Sumukhi Suresh, Kaneez Surka and Mallika Dua’s video, A Woman’s Besties, considers pregnancy fears and the disgust at receiving sexts and nude shots, along with other subjects thought too delicate for public discussion.

Aditi Mittal, whose 2017 series Things They Wouldn’t Let Me Say was the first Netflix comedy special by an Indian woman, couches sharp social commentary in seemingly ordinary jokes. Ladies Up, a collection of four 15-minute pieces by Prashasti Singh, Supriya Joshi, Niveditha Prakasam and Surka released in 2020 looks at female pleasures, foreplay, Tinder misadventures and breastfeeding.

Ladies Up is a collection of four 15-minute pieces by comedians including Prashasti Singh.

“I think Indians in general are warming up to the idea of funny women. This has helped us carve our own space in the industry,” says Mumbai-based Singh, who has an MBA (Master of Business Administration) and who gave up a well-paying corporate job to become a comedian three years ago.

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