Humorously Yours review: Being comic is no joke, says TVF’s new show

The first episode, and all that will follow it, chronicles the fictional life of real life stand-up comedian Vipul Goyal.

It was only a matter of time before one of the online entertainment channels came back full circle to make a show about comedy itself. The Viral Fever released its latest show, Humorously Yours on Sunday and it promises to be another breath of fresh air like all its previous series have been.

IIT Bombay graduate Vipul Goyal’s humour may remind you of Raju Shrivastava.

The first episode, and all that will follow it, chronicles the fictional life of real life stand-up comedian Vipul Goyal. The IIT Bombay graduate’s humour reminds you of Raju Shrivastava’s earthy brand of comedy, only more mature and graceful. He is a struggler in an industry that is minting comedians by the second. The competition is harsh and he is ‘averagely-talented’.

The tone of the series is inclined towards humour and a frothy lightness but it is not restricted to just that. The 33-minute episode is packed with clips of Vipul performing jokes on stage, promising a constant inflow of laughter, and also with insights into his life beyond the mic and behind the curtain.

Vipul Goyal has a very earthy sense of humour.

Vipul’s relationship with his wife is a glimpse into the life of the new normal couple of the India that live in the metros. They have a life of their own outside their home, a career and an ambition. They live on their own, divide chores that defy gender roles (something the daily soaps are still taking to be the rule of the thumb) but still argue about the daily sexism and their hypocrisy in the way they address it.

This show talks a lot about daily sexism and feminism.

A 5-minute argument between the couple on why he should be the one to fire the housemaid is a great example. They debate why should the wife be the one to handle all the ‘bai-issues’ just because she is a woman. Vipul asks her why he should be the one to bring in the heavy 20 litre water bottle. They argue about feminism and sexism, the issues more and more nuclear households are trying to work with changing times. While the bits from his stand-up performances bring in the humour, it’s moments like these that are the true soul of this series.

This is the kind of content the new audiences deserve on television. Sure, the production can do much better with some more funding—like the camerawork is really shoddy at places, the voices echo and crackle as if recorded on the cheapest equipment available but all is forgiven and forgotten as long as the content is this good.