SUBVERSIVE VIBES

SAVITA BHATTI WANTS TO MAKE WOMEN LAUGH AT THEMSELVES

Continued from page 3

Savita, the wife of celebrated comedian and satirist late Jaspal Bhatti, feels comedy is a full-time profession now. “So for sustenance, we comedians have to try and take on everything under the sun. But I believe the comedians of today are not moving to weighty subjects,” she says. Today, comedy is serious business. More and more stand-up comedians use the stage to speak their minds on grave social matters. Savita feels comedians approach every situation as artists. “I think if it affects our society as a whole, then one must definitely find a way to speak out. It could be anything from skyrocketing prices, to scams, to education and corruption. Literally anything and everything can be addressed,” she says, adding that every artist has her or his own trigger points. “And I think we have to be careful because people often think that being humorous about an issue means we are trivialising it. The common notion is that if you lecture about it and shout out loud for two hours, then you are looking for a solution,” says Savita. As girls we’re always taught to keep our voices lowered, to speak softly and be as invisible as possible. “So the guffawing and the boisterous laughing at jokes and all used to only be done by men. Society never gave us the freedom to enjoy humour. Laughter is the biggest gift to mankind. Let women learn to laugh first, then to laugh at themselves and I’m sure we’ll have an army of women comics,” says Savita. Thoughts on women as commodities: Maybe it’s best if the government declares the woman as a commodity feels Savita. “By labeling the woman as a market item, it gives us the clearance to do anything with her — buy and sell her, trade her, molest her, hurt her, dispose her off for a newer model. Literally do anything.” Why not use the Constitution to incorporate such a change? she asks sarcastically. This can easily be achieved by the stock market, the media and the entertainment industry. She says, “This means we can do away with the campaigns to keep female foeticide in check. There will be no more hue and cry over the woman being treated like an ‘item’ in the media and entertainment industry and we can put an end to the protests on vulgarity in films and music videos.”

Our work has always been connected to social issues. It’s never been lampooning. It is never below the belt, never vulgar and never crass