Varun Grover on stand-up, politics, and #MeToo

Inspired by a global campaign against sexual harassment and assault, 2018 saw the rise of the #MeToo movement in India. Women across the spectrum opened up and shared their stories about abuse by men in positions of power. From Bollywood to politics, the movement named and shamed perpetrators of sexual abuse and the novice comedy industry in India was not spared either. In comedy, the movement was kick-started when Mahima Kukreja accused stand-up comedian Utsav Chakraborty of sexually harassing her with unsolicited pictures and creepy behaviour.
Following this incident, All India Bakchod, a company that took the comedy movement into the mainstream, was formally dissolved in May 2019, after Gursimranjeet Singh Khamba and Tanmay Bhat were implicated in two separate sexual harassment incidents in October 2018.
City Times chatted with comedian Varun Grover, scheduled to perform in Dubai on Friday, who discussed the after-effects of the #MeToo movement on the comedy scene in India. We also spoke to two comedians who performed in Dubai recently, Rahul Dua and Nishant Suri.
Laugh-a-thon returns Dubai-based Hustle Entertainment launched the third edition of Laugh-a-thon, a stand-up comedy event series, with performances from Rahul Dua and Nishant Suri of Comicstaan fame on June 28. Up next is Varun Grover, best-known as the lead writer of Sacred Games Season 2. He is expected to deliver his show Vichitr Kintu Satya (Strange But True) at Laugh-a-Thon 3.0 on Friday, July 26 at Theatre by QE2 in Dubai. 
'There is hope for comedy in India'
Though Grover is not new to performing in Dubai, this is his first solo performance in the city. "Our first show was called Aisi Taisi Democracy," said Grover. Aisi Taisi Democracy is the coming together of stand-up comedian and social-satirist Sanjay Rajoura, Grover, and bass player and vocalist of fusion band Indian Ocean, Rahul Ram.
Just ahead of the release of Sacred Games, Grover admitted he is very nervous. He said, "We didn't expect anything out of it. We put out the show, and now it has become too big with too many expectations. We're worried we'd be judged very severely for the outcome."
Speaking about his experiences in Dubai, Grover said, "We have performed twice in Dubai, but the show is more political than my solo stand-up special. However, I am really keen to see how people respond to that kind of comedy there. One good thing about Dubai is that it's a very mixed crowd."  According to the comedian, the Internet penetration in India has given rise to a lot of stand-up comedians. "It's a market anyone can enter. You can start by putting videos on YouTube," he explained.
Though allegations of sexual allegations were made against Grover, he categorically denied them and called the #MeToo movement a really important one that was a long-time coming. He told City Times, "MeToo allegations were made in all industries, not just comedy. It was a very important moment, and it had to blow up the way it blew up. People who have the strength of character, and the means to correct their ways, they will come out of it." He called it "a purification process."
Grover is also a lyricist, and said he became one only in a bid to contribute to the music industry in some way possible.

Not discouraged by #MeToo
Two comedians from Amazon's Comicstaan - Rahul Dua and Nishant Suri - performed in Dubai last month (July 28). For these upcoming artists, Suri especially, the #MeToo movement did not discourage them from finding opportunities. Suri, an engineer-turned-investment banker-turned-wedding photographer-turned-stand-up comedian, has been in the comedy circuit for a few years. He has simultaneously won competitions at IIT Delhi, Vir Das's Pajamafest, Radio One Delhi and Comedy Central's Chuckle Hunt. Suri was declared the winner of Comicstaan, Season 1, among top 5 contestants. "Comicstaan has been a game-changer. I feel excited and happy. As of now, I want to focus on gigs, and let's see what's in store for me next, hopefully collaborating with other comedians for sketches." confesses Suri. He added. "The tragedy in India is that people are fans of comedians and not comedy. Mumbai is slightly receptive but other cities need to catch up."
Rahul Dua also shot to fame after participating in Comicstaan on Amazon Prime, becoming the first runner-up of the stand-up reality show. He holds the belief that comedy is akin to being an entrepreneur. "Framing new material for a show or a sketch is just like starting a new venture. Both require days and weeks of developing a unique 'brand' and developing a certain 'style' of communication to connect with the audience. You also need to try, fail, learn, and try again to hit success," explains Dua.
 
 
 
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com  

• Dubai