They ponder upon topics as varied as unfair dress codes for women and superheroes being based in Chennai. Having more than made their mark on social media since their inception in 2015, Put Chutney — the digital media wing of Culture Machine — brings its talent back to the stand-up stage this weekend. Comedians Balakumaran M, Aswin Rao and Rajiv Rajaram take some time out to discuss the country’s burgeoning comedy scene over email, a few days before their upcoming Chennai show.
For Rajaram, the spurt in stand-up and online comedy is positive news. “Competition is always a good thing. It’s always good to have someone push the envelope and challenge your limits. Having said that, we feel the online and stand-up comedy scene has a lot of collaboration and we are sure will continue to have more collaborative efforts. A truly democratic medium will always encourage new talent,” he opines.
In the midst of the crowd, Rajaram, at least, seems to have figured out what works for him. Even for the upcoming show, “the content has changed but the approach to the material remains the same. I am still approaching anything with my Madurai glasses on. That offers a unique perspective to the absurdities of every day,” he writes.
Liberal doses of humour
Anyone following Put Chutney’s work would agree: where you come from tends to play a big role in their content, and a lot of their material reflects a quintessentially young Chennai (and now Bengaluru) mood. But when presenting such material to a nation-wide audience online, is there a risk of stereotypes creeping in?
Bala doesn’t think so. “Stereotypically, stereotyping means something bad, so we want to say a comedian doesn’t generally put people inside boxes,” he says, “We merely point out idiosyncrasies of people. I think we need to find a different word other than ‘Stereotyping’ for what a comedian does.”
They do consciously do much more than that. Along with liberal doses of humour, Put Chutney discusses student issues, looks at women’s issues and even touches upon politics with carefree ease. As Rao points out, “What was funny yesterday is offensive today and what is funny today will be offensive tomorrow. Thanks to social media, we skim the surface of any issue and take sides like it’s nobody’s business. So yes, it is tough toeing the line. But what has to be said, has to be said. We take comedians way too seriously and politicians way too lightly. What does that say about us as a society?”
Exposing yourself to an unknown audience
It’s a question that has been asked many times before, and not just in India. For reasons galore, politics and sensitive issues seem to be finding a more open approach outside the shackles of daily news coverage: political rants and snide commentary by comics and talk show hosts have been gaining traction for years, in multiple countries.
But before an aspiring comedian can get to that stage, they have to start small. Rao has some words of advice for such aspirants, “Open mics are the first step toward figuring if you have it or not,” he writes, adding, “A true test of your talent is only when you crack open mics in other cities, since open mics in places like Chennai are a close-knit affair and you end up knowing most of the audience. You need to expose yourself to an unknown audience thus.”
“Stand-up comedy is growing to be an integral part of the larger entertainment industry, so yes, it is a stepping stone. However, the industry needs a whole lot more than just stand-up skills. It’ll be an uphill journey there as well. You just need to pick battles worth winning,” Rao concludes.
Put Chutney will be performing at Sir Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall, Chetpet, on March 17. There are two shows: 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. Passes are available at www.bookmyshow.com.
