Varun Grover, Kunal Kamra discuss political comedy over chicken wings

The secret source of humour itself is not joy but sorrow said Mark Twain The mood at our table at Heng Bok in Bandra is not one of sorrow but it is easy to see why the great humorist said those words Arvind Kejriwal retweeted something I put up this morningThat means I am not checking any replies to the post today Whenever he shares my tweet bahut gaali padti hai Kunal Kamra says matter offactly as he meets National Awardwinning lyricist screenwriter and fellow comedian Varun Grover over lunch at the Korean restaurant When their comedy is equated to the safety valve of democracy Grover smiles and says Cooker jab phatega its the safety valve that will go off firstKnown for his edgy political humour Grover has ensured that he stays true to his convictions in the film and web world too he is one of the writers of the wellreceived web show Sacred Games and his lyrics including those he has penned for the upcoming film Sui Dhaaga are laced with earthy honesty Kamra whose webbased chat show Shut Up Ya Kunal is a culmination of his sharp political standup comedy is now ready to take his brand of humour abroad via a maiden tour of Australia and USASnigdha What does it mean to be a political comedian in India todayVarun Its a job that people should take up with some responsibility Because comedy deals with storytelling it is not confrontational So even if you hate the comedian the surprise element of a joke will make you laugh and that relaxes you to listen for two more minutes So its a strange kind of dialogue but its happening through comedy Ideally it should happen through journalism but we are facing a crisis of journalism in the country Its a role that I dont think comedy ever wanted to take up but we have been forced into it Some of us will do it some of us will stop doing it one day or get killed or somethingKunal There are a lot of people who believe that political comedy should not be rooted in political opinion But I am not walking on a rope doing some kind of balancing act here This whole idea of also cracking a joke on Rahul Kejriwal or Mayawati is neverending If they come to power I will crack jokes on them too But right now I have things to say about the current PM I am sure Varun Sir will agree that we dont get the right wing Congress kaun si kam right wing haiVarun Most of the bad laws we are fighting right now have been instituted by the Congress Right now its the BJP in power so well ask them questions When the Congress was in power we asked them questions too and thats why there is a small contribution by comedians and memes in building the narrative which led to them losing so badlySnigdha How tough is it to stick your neck outKunal It depends on your choices Varun sensibly figured out that relying on comedy for a livelihood is not a good idea if you want to be outspoken So he is writing And if producers take away that opportunity he will write books If thats gone tooVarun Then Ill cook or start a sandwich stall maybe I am perfectly fine with itKunal This confidence was transferred by Varun Sanjay Rajoura to some of us If they have figured out a sustainable model for speaking their minds with responsibility so will we And if we dont do it responsibly we will be kept in check by likeminded free thinkersSnigdha And what about trolls who also want to keep you in checkVarun Initially if someone abuses you you are civil and polite thinking you may be able get your point across But either he will trigger you so much that you will also abuse him I am saying him deliberately because all of them are men or you will be forced to block them So I seldom engage with them But being a man its easier to do that because you dont get direct threats Gurmehar Kaur had to endure so much just because she held a placard that said something like give peace a chance That day I realised if this can happen to her who do you engage withKunal Its best to ignore trolls There is no way to reply to someone who is abusing you Thats the kind of validation they seekSalmon teriyaki veg dolsot bibimbap and grilled chicken wings arriveSnigdha Do you enjoy trying new cuisinesVarun I love finding new places I get back raw potatoes from whichever country I visit You get to explore cosmopolitan options in Mumbai This is a Korean restaurant next door you have Japanese I dont fancy gadgets or cars So I love spending on food and the best places are not really expensiveKunal When I am travelling I take his recommendation for eating outSnigdha to Kunal You are a Bombaywallah and to Varun you moved here Does the city still manage to surprise youKunal My parents live in Shivaji Park I was 26 when I moved out and thats when I faced a reality check But to be born and brought up in Bombay is such a privilege 40 km idhar udhar and life would be so differentVarun I dont like the clutter of Andheri From my Kandivali home I can see the national park I like to live within limited means and I love the local train I think of the mIndicator city guide app as my competitor Theres something strange about Bombay the moment you feel you have figured it out it punches you backQuick takesA person you would love to do standup withKunal I would like to do a show with Kanhaiya KumarVarun On those lines I would love to do a show with Arundhati RoyThe most sporting city you have performed inVarun Performing in Bangalore is fun because the Hindispeaking audience look forward to listening to standup in Hindi Kunal Commercially also Bangalore shows are always sold out Because most people come from other cities they need a weekend planYour views on the Indian web sceneVarun Indian web is not in its nascent stage any more So we should stop giving it that leeway Good work ought to come out of it and I am quite disappointed with the scene here given the freedom they haveKunal The Internet has to understand that its competition is not with television but with better web shows abroad We are still happy with the consolation that web is better than TV But anything is better than TVCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates