More than 100 comedians took the stage for a group photo, marking the end of India’s biggest comedy festival. Eight of them were women and two from Bengaluru.
Just 24 years old, Richa Kapoor, and her “partner-in-crime” Sumukhi Suresh, have already appeared on national television. For the past four months, they have played out their seven-sketch show to packed audiences in the city.
Richa believes it is lack of confidence that keeps women away from stage comedy. Most improv performances they had been to were male-dominated.
“There are practical issues, like rehearsals being late in the evening. And then, there are doubts about what people will think…the lack of self-confidence amid these doubts keeps many women away,” she says, adding that once entrenched in comedy, there is no visible gender bias.
With irreverent humour sneaking into their sketches, how have audiences here taken it? “Women have come up to us, saying they have never heard a woman use language like that on stage. Many have thanked us for the boldness,” says Richa.
Of course, the occupational hazard remains hecklers in the audience, but she said they were “often dealt with during the performance itself”.
The ‘adventure’ of Richa and Sumukhi started around three years ago, when they bumped into each other at an improv class. With their journey well in motion, the duo plan to launch a YouTube channel on International Women’s Day to encourage women comedians to take up the mike and spew out fearless humour.
