HTKGAF 2018: Women comics storm Mumbai stage

From witticisms on rich kids to sarcastic takes on married life — these women know just how to make you laugh

It was Women’s Day at the Irish House, as female stand-up comics took the stage all day on Wednesday, as part of the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

Jeeya Sethi, curator and stand-up comedy performer, at Irish House on Wednesday. (Aalok Soni/ HT)

Among the 10 comics who stormed the stage were Supriya Joshi, Anu Menon, Aayushi Jagad, Kajol Srinivasan and Urjita Wani. The themes they riffed on ranged from pressure to get married, to the travails of growing up in posh South Mumbai.

“All my life I hated those rich kids,” host Jeeya Sethi joked, “who went to school picnics to Singapore and came back with a British accent.”

Sonali Thakker, 28, joked about what it’s like to be a Gujarati girl and a backpacker. Her risqué jokes elicited the loudest cheers from the audience.

“This is my fourth performance in Kala Ghoda. My stand up is very personal and I’m glad that the audience relates to it,” she says. “The kinds of people that come to festivals such as Kala Ghoda make for the best audiences that a comic could have. Because they come for a festival, they have a happy vibe. As the shows start early in the evening, it means they have actively taken time out to come and watch the performances. And because entry is free, people from all age groups attend and that is a welcome change.”

Menon aka Lola Kutty, the last act of the day, relived her screen persona with sarcastic, witty takes on being a Malayali married to a Gujarati.

Intermittently, Sethi reappeared to poke fun at her experiences as a middle child, her life in the city, her career choices.

“This is the first time I’m attending a stand-up comic event in 10 years of coming to Kala Ghoda,” said Manish Chaubey, 20, a college student from Charni Road. “The best thing about this event is that I could listen to so many women comics at the same time. Anu Menon and Urjita Wani are my favourites.”