Comedy Nights With Kapil Must Be Changed To Insulting Nights With Kapil
Comedy Nights with Kapil has completed more than a year of its splendid performance on the Indian television. Looking around, one can see a hyped implication of certain highlights of the show- t-shirts of “babaji ka thullu”, Guthi’s style of introduction, Palak being over-weight etc. The supporters of this show are going to hate me for this, but this is what I personally feel and do not expect a strong imposition of the same.
But don’t you ever think that its title should be changed from Comedy Nights with Kapil to Insulting Nights with Kapil? Kapil can be loved for his charming looks and the consistency of his speech but sometimes the show has left me uncomfortable and mostly cold. His mockery and remarks on women are not only offensive but also demeaning. There are certain or maximum points of the show that I personally find belittling for women and representative of an inappropriate image of the nature of women. Have a look:
- Almost all the female roles (Guthi, Palak, Dadi) are played by men. Was there a dearth of women or they were not assumed to be good enough to perform this well? Just saying!
- Pinki bua is a spinster who desperately wants to tie knot. She is shown as a luscious women who is ready to lean on any man that enters their house. Does creation of humor demand such a depiction of a character? Your opinion may vary from mine!
- Bittu Sharma openly flirts with every woman on sets and converses about his non-satisfactory marriage with his wife. Such remarks from the male-audience members are also encouraged. On the other hand, any such annotations from his wife are waived off.
- Also, dadi keeps on asking Bittu Sharma to produce a grandchild. Well what she asks for is a grand-son. Why not a grand-daughter?
- Manju, who plays the role of Bittu’s wife is taunted in every episode for bringing in very ‘less’, clearly highlighting the issue of dowry. You can’t say it is in a lighter vein, please!
The funny part is that no matter whatever is presented during the show but the last words with which Kapil Sharma ends the show is always “auraton ki izzat karein.” Is it only me who can sense this hypocrisy? If Kapil Sharma is looked upon as a great man on the television then I suppose his actions must at least match his words. Encountering an ugly misogynist stereotype in a progressive show as Comedy Nights is disheartening but surfaces a subtle, un-noticeable regress.
Being a comedy show, it is okay to target people, women or any gender or group in particular, at times, but without hurting the sentiments of anyone or playing with an already troubled image of any group. We cannot and should not control creative content but I think to some extend it’s on us what we need a sarcastic comment from the people presenting the same to millions watching their show. Entertainment industry should take into deliberation what kind of message they send to others and those who now do not agree to what I say will soon realise that not the whole lot can be chuckled at or expended without questioning it. A joke is a joke whose sole purpose is to spread gags of laughter but a show that is scripted to joke on and about the concept of womanhood, proposing false dimensions of being a woman and the role played by them in the society is unacceptable, at least to me.
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About the Author: This article is contributed by Apurva Mittal, our intern.
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