Ladies who make us laugh: Supriya Joshi and Merenla Imsong open about their journeys in Mumbai

Oven-baked chicken breast

Two comedians walk into a bar. One of them, Merenla Imsong, has eaten something that didn't bode well for her stomach. She rushes to the other comedian - Supriya Joshi - and asks, "Where's the bathroom? I think I have diarrhoea!" A startled Supriya mumbles in the direction. That's the beginning of their friendship, which is further cemented when the two end up at another comedy night, where the number of comedians, well, outnumbered the viewers.

Times have changed since then. Supriya AKA Supaarwoman, who is also a screenwriter, and Merenla, who is a content creator and actor, now both command a following of nearly a million each. In fact, when we meet them at Loci and Toot in Khar, Supriya tells us it's a "full-circle moment" since her first-ever job was at mid-day. As two popular, funny and relatable women, they bring to the table endless chuckles, handy tips on surviving the Internet, and lessons on following your heart. Tune in to mid-day's YouTube channel to watch their video interview and laugh along.

Supriya Joshi and Merenla Imsong goof around at Loci and Toot. Pics/Shadab Khan

Edited excerpts from the interview.

Sukanya to Merenla: You were a science topper in Nagaland, who studied Zoology in Delhi, right? How did you land up in Mumbai?
Merenla: I was always good at studies and my mom thought I'll be a doctor. When I didn't, everyone was like, "Oh, then IAS officer". You start believing that, you know? When that didn't happen, I pursued my Masters. Meanwhile, my cousin's wedding happened in the UK. My cousins' parents there asked me if I wanted to be a civil servant. I was like, "Yeah, I do" but my face lacked that conviction. My uncle said, "You're not cut out for this; you should entertain people. How much bakwaas you've done since you got here!" So, I came back convinced that I will do that. My parents thought it was a phase, but it never stopped. Now, when people ask them, "Oh, your daughter is a comedian?" They nod and say, "Yes, she's a joker!" (giggles)

Baked falafel with labneh

Sukanya to Supriya: What about you - did you always know you wanted to crack jokes for a living?
Supriya: Not at all! But yes, I knew I was funny. I like to be the centre of attention and make jokes. After college, I was in a very confused space. I went from job to job. At my last job, I started making Vines, which was a great platform. They started going viral. But I was just making them to make myself laugh. That's when Tanmay Bhatt messaged me and said I was funny; he asked me to join AIB [All India Bakchod] in 2016. It was my break into comedy. In 2017, Rohan Desai forcefully put my name down for AIB's first open mic. I was like, "Are you mad?" but that pushed me to write my first set. I stepped on the stage and freaking killed it. That set the ball rolling.

The dishes - burrata caponata toast, baked falafel with labneh, oven-baked chicken breast with wild mushroom sauce and pressed pan-seared chicken in spicy-sweet jus - arrive. Supriya tucks into her gluten-free toast, claiming to be "fancy", while Merenla enjoys the "food coma".

Sukanya to both: Do you guys like to cook?
Supriya: I love cooking; even the simplest dish, if it's made in your own regional way, I
like to check it out. In the lockdown, I got the opportunity to try dishes I've never made before. But one thing that I can't make is roti.
Merenla: I enjoy eating more than cooking, but I can't make roti either. My friends say, my food is like hospital food.

Sukanya to Merenla: Do you get Naga food around here?
Merenla: No, but I have all the smelly stuff in my fridge. The good thing is Mumbai generally smells. So I can say, "Ugh, it's Versova beach". In Delhi, we were once cooking, and the cops came because the neighbours complained we were eating dog meat. We had to show them it was dried fish. They fined the neighbours.

Sukanya to both: As two funny women on the Internet, what's your average day like? How do you find inspiration for content?
Merenla: Anything can inspire you. Sometimes you're showering and an idea strikes you! But sometimes, you're sitting with an open notebook and half an hour later, you're staring at the cobwebs.
Supriya: But some people do have a routine - these hustler-influencer types. When I have an idea, I have to shoot it immediately. I don't care if it's 10 pm and nobody's watching it. I can't make content just for the sake of it. You can do trends, but if that becomes your only identity, then how are you different from every third person on the Internet?
Merenla: You've given me so many existential questions to think about. I have a notebook with scribbles that are ideas. I don't even remember what some mean. One day I found the words, "vegan vampire". What does that even mean?
Sukanya: Vegan vampire kills for oat milk, maybe?
Merenla: No, for beetroot!

Sukanya to both: Jokes apart, both of you have also, in your own ways, used comedy to call out toxicity - be it body-shaming or discrimination. Tell us about it.
Merenla: When you make these videos, you don't think, "I will make a change in society today!" If something annoying happens to me, instead of thinking about it, I put it down on paper. But the important thing is to not be angry; otherwise, a lot of hate emerges.
Supriya: But don't you think anger is a creative fuel? It is for me. Having grown up being bullied, I have reached that point where I don't give anybody the agency to shame me. If a 12-year-old boy calls me ‘moti', do I let him make me feel bad? If today I write essays about being body-shamed, you'll applaud me, and tomorrow, that 12-year-old will call me ‘moti' again. You say what you have to, and move on.

Sukanya to both: How do you deal with trolling?
Supriya: One time this kid, who I'm sure was 12, wrote something that amounted to a death threat, because I was fat. So I decided to mess with him. I told him I'm sending this to the police. Within a minute, he sent me a thousand apologies.
I asked him to write "I'm sorry" 200 times and send me pictures. And he did it!

Merenla: When you first look at the comments, you get angry. And then you end up going to their profile and see, "Who is this ''''''a?" Sometimes, when people body-shame you, they think it's a revelation. They'll be like "small chests"! As if I thought I was Pamela Anderson. The quality of trolling [in India] is also very basic. There has to be a trolling school for them.

Log on to: Mid-Day on YouTube

Quick takes

>> Mumbai rains - love or hate?
Supriya: Love it, if I'm not going out.
Merenla: Love-hate relationship. I don't like the clothes not drying.

>> What do you love about Mumbai's culture?
Supriya: How everyone minds their business.
Merenla: The way people help you on the local trains. I remember once the train was leaving. I made eye contact with this woman. Three hands pulled me in!

>> Food you love in Mumbai?
Supriya: Vada pav, any day.
Merenla: I was disappointed with Mumbai street food since I came from Delhi. But I love the prawns.