NOTHING IS SACROSANCT FOR THIS HUMOURIST
VASU PRIMLANI IS A COMEDIAN WHO ISN’T AFRAID TO SPEAK HER MIND
Called ‘mischievous and defiant’ by the BBC, Vasu Primlani is one of the most courageous voices coming out of India. There are so many questions she has about India. Like why the horticulture department relies on Indian men to water the plants. “The other day I saw a man standing on the side of the road not doing anything, that guys standing on the sides of roads do. (Shows standing with hand cupping the groin). I was like ‘why? gir jayega kya?’”
Nothing is sacrosanct for Vasu, who tackles issues under comedy that are scarcely spoken of in social circles but definitely need to be addressed. Subjects like rape are broken down by Vasu, a rape victim herself, who feels it’s important that comedians talk about the matters close to their heart.
Vasu, a thinking person’s comic, adds, “The choice of subject has a lot to do with the maturity of the comedian. If you take the case of an amateur comedian, you are probably looking at a person who doesn’t have much of life experience. Such comedians will not generally pick up heavier subjects. I also don’t see that many comedians choosing weighty subjects that might be taboo for Indian society.”
A child sexual abuse survivor as well, Vasu also works towards rehabilitating and rebuilding the lives of rape survivors and other people who have been through trauma in their lives. “Anybody can make you laugh at the thought of somebody slipping on a banana peel. But can you make a joke out of something that is not just discussed in Indian society and is always shown in negative light? Once a female journalist challenged me, ‘How dare you make jokes about rape? Do you think that rape is a funny topic?’ But I am talking about it because we need to discuss it. The challenge is in making somebody laugh at a topic that is very, very serious.”
If something is negative, think of how much the artiste has to transverse to get you to laugh. She says, “It’s a balance and I have to improve myself as an artist to have people actually laugh about these things.”
Comedy is the most powerful tool, Vasu strongly believes, “From TV shows to Barack Obama, comedy is used everywhere to deliver messages. And any message, no matter how hard it is, is repeatable and memorable if comedy is used.”
In one of her videos, she talks about teaching boys to respect women. “I am sick of people telling girls what to do to ward off rape. I say just look at your boys, if you are not raising them properly then they are a danger to women. Keep them at home and the women on the streets will be safe. Stop telling girls what to wear, where to go, which button to press in an elevator, etc. They should be free.”