When women light up the stand-up comedy scene

Organised by WSquare, the show is for first-timers to try their hand at standup comedy. Vandhana Ramanathan, co-founder of  WSquare, says, “The standup culture is growing in Chennai as the audiences are opening up to a variety of entertainment. 

Recently, we organised a standup comedy show for an all-women audience. Once the event was over, a few ladies from the crowd approached us seeking help to take up standup comedy as a profession. We realised that there aren’t many avenues for an open interaction on standup comedy. That’s how we came up with an open mic for comediennes, a first-of-its-kind in the city. We contacted Vikram Balaji of Chennai Comedy and he was more than happy to host the event — Read My Lips.” 

She says that interested women comedians can try out their material and enjoy an evening of comedy with fellow participants. “There are many talented women out there who want to dabble in standup comedy but are scared to perform on a public platform. 

Also, this segment is already dominated by men, both in terms of numbers and reach. For the upcoming event to be held at WSquare, we have invited established comedians like Syaada Ali, Syama Harini and Vikram Balaji to mentor the participants,” explains Vandhana. 

The standup scene and what it stands for has changed dramatically in the last couple of years. But, this young and vibrant industry hasn’t given women their due. 

We have prominent names like Aditi Mittal, Radhika Vaz, Mallika Dua and Kaneez Surka holding a place in standup. Vikram Balaji, who hosts the open mic shares, “Well, they are quite famous in the north. I know many women with a good sense of humour and their brand of comedy is very relatable. But they aren’t willing to showcase an act on a public platform. I was happy when WSquare approached me with this interesting concept. I will be hosting the show and will be giving tips and feedback to the performers.” 

Quiz him the reason for fewer takers among women and he says, “People assume that women cannot be funny and they can put up a show like their male counterparts. This idea is ingrained in our minds and it stops us from encouraging the funny women out there. I hope that with Read My Lips show, we would be able to bring many talented comics to the forefront.”