Wil Anderson. Judith Lucy. Barry Humphries. Ask anyone to name their favourite Aussie comedians, and you’re likely looking at a substantial list.
And sure, we all know a slew of US and UK comics; from Seinfeld to Are You Being Served?, we grew up with them. But from the outside, Indian comedy is largely uncharted territory. Thanks to the viral success of All India Bakchod, however, this is all set to change in ridiculous fashion (‘bakchod’ does, after all, translate as a kind of nonsense-speak). As the funny foursome’s core member Ashish Shakya explains, the comedy culture of India is about to explode.
“To give you a broader picture, comedy – and stand-up in particular – has been around for years, but is mostly a kind of satire and poetry,” he explains in a colourful rush. “All of this has been happening for generations, especially the poetry. English language stand-up as an urban phenomenon has picked up over the last, say, six years or so. It’s gone from a handful of people doing stand-up to people writing films, writing TV shows and performing all over the world, doing venues that are increasing in size each time. It’s really very extraordinary. We were the first guys in this generation who are doing English language stand-up, and it’s still a very niche art form in a sense.”
As Indian stand-up has found its feet, so too have its local audiences begun to adapt to a more contemporary style. While heckling is extremely rare – crowds still being quite accustomed to sitting through performances without negative disruption – Shakya feels that as identification with the troupe grows, so too its audience’s engagement might evolve.
“There are some jokes that despite being hacky, people are laughing. At the same time, because we’re such a complicated country, you open the newspaper and there are ten headlines that are all potential joke material; there’s a lot to talk about. If you go up onstage and you talk about stuff like religion, politics, you talk about the big institutions through comedy, and you do it well, people are always going to respond, because it’s the kind of commentary they’re not used to seeing. They’re used to seeing big shots at Fox, like Jon Stewart, who have that kind of bite, that kind of mainstream television. So when comedians do that onstage, it can be hard-hitting. People see someone who looks like them, speaks like them, thinks like them, talking about institutions and people that are very relevant to them. A comedian here could do a joke about Trump, but it’s not as funny as a politician who is actually here.”
Shakya has no fears that Australian audiences will struggle to connect with AIB’s material – one needs only check their YouTube videos to see evidence of their international appeal. Their profile is certain to soar, and if they’re not swamped in the street just yet, give it time.
“The comedy scene in India was very nascent – we just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and a couple of videos we did took off really well and have been seen by people all around the world. Our YouTube channels are known across the country, but not to the point where we have to wear sunglasses and put on a hat to leave the house, sadly! One day, one day. That sort of thing is more for Bollywood stars. But it’s nice now, because more and more people are watching it, especially online. That’s how a lot of people enter it. It’s all been strangely natural.”
All India Bakchod’sSubcontinental Stand-Uptakes place at Enmore Theatre onSunday May 8, as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival 2016.
