Upcoming performance to explore the idea of gender and sexuality

What does it mean to be a certain gender And what if your interpretation of gender is not in sync with what society expects This weekend head to Harkat Studios for Me amp The Other 2 which brings together performances that explore the idea of gender The problem with these hotbutton issues is that because we read so much about them online we get desensitised and do nothing to help the cause This is our attempt to get the conversation out of the Internet and into a physical space where it can make a real impact says Michaela Strobel of Harkat StudiosPainting of Shakti KapoorThe show will feature artistes from different fields who will share their interpretation of gender through music dance standup comedy storytelling and art The lineup includes singersongwriter Alisha Pais writer Aditi Mediratta speakers Harish Iyer and Urmi Jadhav artist Mili Sethia comedian Navin Noronha and Dancing QueensON November 11 730 pmAT Harkat Studios Bungalow 75 JP Road Aram Nagar Part 2 Versova Andheri WestLOG ON TO bookmyshowcomENTRY Rs 413Mili SethiaIm trying to find the queerness in masculinityTowards the end of 2015 graphic designer and artist Mili Sethia started a project called Esqueer where she took embarrassing photoshoots done by macho Bollywood actors of yore and reimagined them This was the time when that picture of Shakti Kapoor lounging around almost naked had resurfaced on the Internet We were talking about it at work and my boss said All I want is an oil painting of him hanging above my bed It was a joke but I thought why notSethia went on to create a series of such paintings featuring everyone from Jackie Shroff to Aamir Khan and queerifying the images in the process She says The idea is to question the normal idea of masculinity and how men are perceived IacircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088found it fascinating that these stars who were icons of their time didnt find it the least bit embarrassing to pose for such pictures And if they werent afraid to be themselves why should anybody else At the show Sethia will exhibit the series in addition to being part of a live art performance I will be painting each of the performers as they take the stage and it will come together as a series at the endHarish Iyer plays a woman Pic courtesyQGraphyFeminism does not equate to malebashingMotivational speaker and social activist Harish Iyer says its important to talk about gender sexuality and patriarchy but it needs to be done in a way that isnt intimidating There is a need to declutter the jargon that surrounds these topics If not injected with a dose of humour we end up sounding preachy he saysAt Me and the Other 2 Iyer will talk about feminism and what makes someone a feminist You dont need to be a woman to be one Men can be feminists too At the same time not every woman is a feminist explains IyerHe adds that he will also be addressing the negativity that surrounds the term Feminism is often taken to mean malebashing whereas its about equality and taking affirmative action to get women to a point of equality The spirit of feminism is not to label all men as bad and to actually engage in a conversation with men as opposed to speaking at them he addsNavin NoronhaThere arent too many LGBT comics hereStandup comedian Navin Noronha came out of the closet in his very first standup act back in 2012 It was at an open mic at The Hive I was terrified but when I was done people started applauding he recalls Over time all his pieces have come to include his personal experiences and at the show this weekend youll catch him at his best He shares Its difficult being a queer standup comic Im trying to normalise the conversation which not many comics are doing It doesnt always go well though Ive had organisers come up to me and say Can you not talk about being gayThat said he admits people are more comfortable with the topic now I even met a BJP member at my show once and he said he really enjoyed it