Comic Aayushi Jagad on why sex is the only other way to get a man's attention

Aayushi Jagad was verbally abused by two men on a bike after her recent video went viral

After her recent video that calls out comedy biggies AIB on how they use "feminism" in their sketches went viral, Pune comedian Aayushi Jagad had a nasty run-in with her real-life trolls. On her way to host a show, she was accosted by a couple of men on a bike, who recognised her from the video, spat on her, and said, "He sagla feminism vagere tujhya p''chit ghal" (Shove all this feminism up your c''t). She was in tears, and wrote a Facebook post that spoke of her trauma. "I hate that I can't blame anyone. And, I'm filled with such anger, waiting for this post to turn into yet another 'burn her where she stands' because I'm a feminazi bitch who cried wolf."

When we speak to her, the 25-year-old, who goes by the moniker @sluttysavitree on Instagram, and is in the midst of getting ready for another show, laughs, "Men don't care. I have realised that I can't change anyone. Recently, on stage, I asked, 'do you want to hear the world shortest joke?' And, I said, 'Willing Sati Participant'. I got no reactions from the men in my audience. In fact, one man said, 'sati is our history'. So, if the room is warm, I try the feminist stuff, or else I just say pe''' or b'''bs."

She may sound a bit jaded, but Jagad has been at the head of the female comics brigade for a while. After being fired from AIB in 2016 for not being good enough, she kept going to open mics to hone her craft. Ask her how her material has evolved, she says, "I used to talk about being single and love. Now, I am capable of talking about things like my mother passing away."

Her strategy for men to take her seriously is much like her hero, American comedian Amy Schumer's. Schumer, who could be one of the most hated people on the Internet, was known as a sex comic when she first started out. "Schumer said that the only way to get a man's attention was to say something wild. Once you have that, you can say other things and they might just listen. I do the same. And, then I say, 'Okay, now you know I am cool as I spoke about sex. Now, listen to me and please don't rape women'."

The comedy world itself is one dominated by men, though in the last few years, artistes like Jagad, Aditi Mittal and Kaneez Surka, have tried to break that ceiling. As Jagad says, where there are allies, there are bound to be foes. "There are many who crack extremely sexist jokes on stage. For example, one comic recently got two toothbrushes on stage, one used and one sealed and said, 'this used one is like Sunny Leone, and the sealed one is like Alia Bhatt'," she says.

But, Jagad is clear that there is no backing down. "We female comics have a pact - we are going to make the audience uncomfortable. We all are also on a common Whatsapp group, and whenever a male comic misbehaves, we share it. They better shape up, because we are just biding time before it's all out there."

Catch 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 mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates