The age of Tamil comedy

Comedians talk to Vinodhini Vaidyanathan about what makes their brand of comedy tick and discuss the importance of encouraging dialogue in this age of offence

The business of laughs is big; and it’s serious.

English and Hindi standup comedians are now household names with shows like Comicstaan shining the spotlight on the segment. Making its way into the limelight now is another brand of comedy — regional standup. And leading the pack is Tamil comedy. Testimony to its popularity is the fact that Comicstaan launched a Tamil edition of the show, which has been very well received.

“This is proof that there’s a market and scope for Tamil standup comedy,” says Annamalai L, reportedly the first Tanglish comedian on the scene. “There are now active and consistent Tamil standup comedians and content is at the core of the scene here. We have some very original content driving the scene here; of course there are sets driven by pop culture too, but original content is quite strong here.”

Annamalai along with two other comedians Jagan Krishnan and Guru Nicketan will take the stage today for a panel discussion titled Madras Uncensored with actor Vinodhini Vaidyanathan. The discussion will range from pop culture, politics, memes to open mics and will track how Tamil standup is leading the regional language comedy scene and is encouraging dialogue in this age of offence.

The age of Tamil comedy

“Tamil standup comedy has evolved over the last couple of years. We’ve grown by leaps and bounds and today there’s not even close competition from other regional language standup comedians and audience,” says Jagan, highlighting how the audience is very encouraging.

Annamalai agrees, adding that Tamil comedy burst onto the scene at a time when the audience was hungry for regional content.

“Tanglish was formed in August 2016 at a time when it was predominantly English and Hindi standup comedy that ruled the scene. The audience was more than ready for it; in fact, they wanted content that hit closer home,” says Annamalai, “Over the years it has been a matter of building on that hunger and sustaining it for a longer period of time. There’s been a lot of development in terms of Tamil comedy in the last couple of years.”

Outside, looking in

However, Tamil standup comedians, he says are still standing outside the ring.

“We’re not yet inside the ring. Art evolves when one gets into the centre. That is when comedy is at its best. We’re now making our way into that circle,” says Annamalai, who says his brand of comedy is best described as anecdotal though satire and self-deprecation come to him by default. “When I first jumped into the fray, there was no path carved out for me, since I was the first standup comedian in Tamil. So my work was very experimental in the beginning. Now, I’m zeroing in on anecdotal.”

For Jagan it is mostly observational comedy that drives his sets. “I also tend to put my funny thoughts in the form of original songs, which the audience is very encouraging about. Of course there are detractors and trolls, but we as comedians develop a sense of humility when it comes to ignoring them,” he says.

Given that they are performers in an age of offence, Jagan says, that they’ve learnt to deal with criticism. “Earlier there were only a few people who took offence at things because access was limited. But now with better Internet connectivity people can watch our sets online as well. There have been cases of trolls getting very personal — they get hold of our numbers and make personal attacks, even if the subject of our jokes is unaffected by our take on them. We have learnt to either ignore trolls or give an eye for an eye when the situation demands it. Then there are also people who question our humour and are open to dialogue.”

Madras Uncensored will take place at The Folly, Amethyst, Whites Road, on August 19, from 6.30 pm to 8 pm. Entry is free.

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