Women's Day: Women are eager to share their stories, says Aditi Mittal

In a candid interview, stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal talks about taboo topics, her journey from New York to Mumbai and why women a variety of women have taken to the mic as she urges the world to bust the universal stereotype with regards to women

Sex education, sanitary napkins, bras, periods, misogyny feminism and the list goes on. There's no taboo topic that stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal hasn't talked about. From being single at 30 to women's hygiene issues and how sex is portrayed in India, Aditi Mittal has been there and done that. Aditi's comedy is inspired by personal experiences and observations and is considered as sharp as a knife. Such is her persona and knack to tickle the bone that Indian sexologist Dr. Mahinder Watsa couldn't stop completing her for her hilarious take on sex education and much more.

Just as the world marks the celebration of International Women's Day today, we had the opportunity to interact with India's best stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal who in a candid conversation talks about everything.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

From working in New York to being the 1st Indian comedian to perform at 'The Laugh Factory', how has the journey been so far?

The journey has been exciting, enthusiastic! It has been humbling and all I can think of is adjectives! But I would say, 'I have miles to go before I sleep'! I think it's only the beginning.

You were the first woman to start stand-up comedy in India. How has stand-up comedy evolved over the years?

Today, there are so many more women eager to tell their stories now and there are many more women willing to step out and take the mic. And that's really exciting and that's been one of the changes that there is a variety of voices now in stand-up comedy. Such is the growth that today we have a show like FemaPalooza which is exclusively for women only. There are only women performers, women as the audience, women producers which is very rare in our industry. It's an all-women show! It is one of the best things to come out of the heightened awareness around women in comedy. 

Your comedy style is considered to be sharp and cutting edge. How do you go about penning down jokes?

Women in general, have a lot of s**t to deal with. And so the stuff that comes out of them when they joke is a lot more potent and its a lot more poignant and that makes you think a lot. Because women stories have not been at the forefront and centre. And when people are like 'your humour is so sharp', I am like, 'Ya! Because just compared to the dudes around us we see a completely different world. We get to experience a completely different world.' And so, the stand-up comedy that we have is a lot more insightful, sharper and it says a lot.

Who is your inspiration behind pursuing stand-up comedy and why?

Of course, it's my dad and my mom. Because they are both amazing and frankly if you think I am a terrible comic then you should blame them because they should have gotten on stage and should have done this because they are truly my two inspirations. Having said that, right now, there are so many people who are so f****** good! There is Wanda Sykes, Sara Pascoe, Ali Wong, Paula Poundstone, and Lynne Koplitz to name a few.

Who according to you are the top 5 stand-up female stand-up comics to watch out for in 2019?

Jeeya Sethi, Pavitra Shetty, Sonali Thakkar, Prashasti Singh and Unnati Marfatia.

What is your take on taboo topics in India such as sanitary napkins, sex education, condoms?

That take is my comedy only (Hahaha). Because the more taboo they are, the more fun it is to try and figure them out. When the topic is taboo it is surrounded by nonsense, rumours and a lot of misinformation so its much more fun to pen down jokes on them. Most of my jokes are based out of personal experiences. My approach to comedy has always been that if I don't understand something then I start talking about it. If I can't wrap my head around a concept I will write about it and then I will track and crack a few jokes about it. And to me, the act of stand-up comedy is sharing in confusion. It's all of us in that one moment laughing away that even if we don't fully understand this thing even though it's not fair or even though it's not right. And maybe, in that moment, we are all powerless but the one thing that we can do is laugh at it! To take away the power from it just a little more.

How do you deal with critics and people who body shame and defame you?

When I started and people would say good stuff I would be like 'Aye chal na' ( Hey, go) and if anyone would say anything bad then I would be like 'Aye chal na'! So, I would not let even the good or the bad affect me. Earlier, it used to feel like really 'OMG' but now if there is substance in it then I always pay attention. If there is something in it for me apart from 20 bad words then I am like 'Am I going to learn a new bad word?'. So, I always look for something to learn. Even if someone is abusing me 50 times I wonder, 'is there a new one that I can use?'

Even though women are carving a niche for themselves in many fields, the country overall still have the same pre-conceived notion about them. Your thoughts?

The universal stereotype that we must get rid of is that all women are not the same. And that everyone has different problems and it is not that personal problems are bigger than the others. One could be working in a corporate office and facing sexual harassment and that is as bad as women not having access to good maternity health especially during scary pregnancies in a rural area. The idea is that women cannot be approached or defined as a single group of people. There is a wide variety of women with a variety of experiences and with a variety of voices and a variety of jokes. And it's time we started paying attention to that!

Give us 2 smart tips for women who want to pursue stand-up comedy in the near future?

Firstly get the f*** on stage yesterday and secondly, love your failures as much as you love your success!

Also Read: Women's Day 2019: As soon as the day is over the sexism will return, says Ariana Gupta

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