Twenty-five comedians from the city came together to turn Mumbai’s smog-filled reality into hard-hitting punchlines, all in a bid to raise awareness about the air pollution plaguing the City of Dreams.
Stand-Up comics who brought attention to Mumbai's worsening AQI
“If you wish to file an FIR, please step out of the auditorium and do so,” said comedian Daniel Fernandes to a woman who interrupted his set, taking offense at one of his jokes. “I am a lawyer,” the audience member responded. Fernandes retorted, “If you are a lawyer, I am a liar. I will say I never said it.” A few scattered laughs followed, and the show went on. FIRs and taking offense at jokes have seemingly become a new obsession in the country, especially now, with top courts and police officers in multiple states fixated on an internet influencer’s crass comment on a no-filter comedy show. As the media, social networking sites, politicians, and courts weigh in on the matter, a group of comedians recently came together to focus on a real issue plaguing Mumbai—air pollution.
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The show Laughs Per Minute – Breathless Edition was held in Mumbai on February 28. The event was a collaborative effort by DeadAnt and Asar. Twenty-five comedians from the city came together to turn Mumbai’s smog-filled reality into hard-hitting punchlines, all in a bid to raise awareness about the air pollution plaguing the City of Dreams.
“Society should talk about issues if they are to become important. Everyone was talking about India’s Got Latent, and then it became important. So I guess it works with every other issue as well,” said Raunaq Rajani, one of the comics who participated in the event.
When you are laughing you are listening
The introduction to the show began with the line, "When you are laughing, you are listening." Elaborating on the idea, host Daniel Fernandes told Mid-Day, “There is so much honesty in laughter. Why do we laugh? Because we find some truth in what the comedian is saying, and laughter is a very natural response to it. I believe that comedy, in many ways, is about the truth—and the truth is funny.”
“We (comedians) are obsessed with laughter and we try and get those laughs by talking about things that we feel strongly about or things we may observe to be out of place in society that is very obvious for everyone to see but no one is talking about it. So our primary obsession is laughter.”
The lineup of comedians that included Aditi Mittal, Urjita Wani, Mohammed Hussain, Aadar Malik, Aakash Mehta, Pavitra Shetty, Vineeth Srinivasan and more, reflected on the rising AQI of the city coupled with the never-ending construction work in the city. Each comic had a minute to speak the harsh truth of the city, which needs immediate attention. It came in the form of back-to-back punchlines.
What makes comedians angry?
With comedy being taken a tad too seriously at present—to the extent that comedians are facing legal implications—we asked Fernandes if there is anything that angers comedians. He was quick to reply with a smile, “Comedians are some of the most chill people you will ever meet. There are a lot of misconceptions about what comedy is all about and what comedians intend to do with their words. Our intention is only to make everybody laugh—nothing else. We don’t mean what we say. So if you are watching comedy, remember, it’s not a speech—don’t take it literally. Focus on politicians, and when it comes to us, just enjoy the laughs.”
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