The Hindu Huddle 2025: Anu Menon calls stand-up comedy ‘difficult' as people are ‘easily offended'

The Hindu

09-05-2025

Indian comedy, especially political comedy, faces an existential challenge in the current socio-political climate, observed Anuradha Menon, a pioneering standup comedian and VJ of India, in a session at The Huddle by The Hindu.
Best known for her Malayali-coded 'Lola Kutty' alter ego on television, Anu Menon sat down for a light-hearted session on the inaugural day of The Huddle.
However, during the chat, she called attention to the recent mob attack on Habitat Studio in Khar, Mumbai. The popular comedy club-cum-performance venue was vandalised after a YouTube special taped there by comedian Kunal Kamra offended a political group. Soon after the incident, Habitat Studio shut down operations indefinitely.
'They (the mob) went to the comedy club and trashed the place when people were sitting inside,' Menon said. 'For some reason, they did not realise comedy specials are shot a few months prior, then edited, sound-mixed and released later. It's not like it's happening in real time that you can go and ask, 'Arrey, Kunal Kamra kidhar hai? (Where is Kunal Kamra?)'
Menon remarked that people today are 'easily offended', and that it's hard to predict what might offend them. And while satire and political jokes often draw the heaviest fire, even seemingly innocuous subjects—such as Menon making fun of her own son—can rub audiences the wrong way.
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'I have never been a political comedian so that has gone in my favour. I talk about everyday things. And my target usually are my family members. But even then, I have been asked questions.'
Menon, with characteristic dash, illustrated the challenges of being a woman comedian in what is, by and large, a male-dominated ecosystem.
'One Women's Day, I made enough money to go on a holiday to Paris and watch my favourite tennis player Rafale Nadal play. After that, it's been a downward spiral because people are too scared to touch comedy sometimes.' She mentioned various limitations imposed upon comedians performing at corporate events.
'People say there are few women comedians but it is true of most professions in the world,' she said, adding that sometimes, a performance by a female standup at a corporate show is viewed as a 'jokes mujra'.
Menon said she is 'not comfortable' with using too many swear words in her standup, but does not oppose those who do. 'I don't think there is extra virtue in me not swearing. If a comedian is doing it, that's completely okay.'