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Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Indian Comedy has a gender. Apoorva Mukhija faced threats, Pranit More got off with a sorry

Apoorva Mukhija got rape threats and FIRs for retorting to a comment about her body on India’s Got Latent. Pranit More got a rap on the knuckles for Rs 370 biryani clip. It’s hypocrisy 101.

Comedy is gender-neutral only until a woman tells the joke. Because if you’re a man making a vulgar joke or being part of it in any capacity, people don’t waste time saying, “Don’t be so sensitive” or “Comedy has no limits.” But if you are a woman? Suddenly, society is reminded of ‘sanskar’.

In yet another example of how men and women are judged by entirely different standards, we have the cases of Apoorva Mukhija, who faced backlash for her comments on India’s Got Latent in April, and Pranit More, who was part of the infamous Rs 370 biryani exchange on his show.

The qualitative difference in the public reactions to each raises an important question: does comedy have a gender? And the answer seems to be yes.

Also Read: Men can’t buy women’s consent by paying for dinner. Dating is not vasooli

A tale of two comedians

Remember when Apoorva Mukhija hit back at a contestant on India’s Got Latent after he made an obscene remark about her body? She responded in similarly crude language about him seeing the said female body part upon his birth, but the original comment was brushed aside and she became the subject of ire.

The internet lost its cool. She was called every name in the book. She got rape threats. Her character was dissected. Her mother was harassed on social media. Multiple FIRs were filed against her.

The focus wasn’t on whether the joke crossed a line; it became........

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