Bengaluru: It was a rip-roaring hilarious take on all things that contribute to being a woman. Written and performed by 5 Stand Up Comediennes from the city, the event was a treat for everyone, not just the women in the audience.
"We met during different productions in the city and at different shows by The Funny Monkey by Pragya and Adithya and started having these fun moments backstage, where we laughed about everything that came along with being a woman - the good, the bad and the ugly. At the same time, I was writing a set called Uterus & I and when we began talking about it, we realised there were so many shared experiences and it was a shame that we weren’t talking about it," recalls Shrirupa, who then joined Khyati Raja, Sejal Bhat, Pragya Sharoff, Sneha Suhas, Seema Rao Narayan and Ramya Ramapriya to give their ideas a form.
Ask them why the uterus and Seema responds, "It’s a concept that I can relate to closely because I have been through infertility, PCOD, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy and childbirth. Even today women are scared and ashamed to talk about all these uteri related issues and I think making people laugh without overloading them with gynaecological details is a great way to start talking about women's issues."
Pointing out that there are women ,who live in unbearable pain even in this day and age because they feel inhibited to talk about a very real problem such as PCOD or for fear of being stalked and found “not good enough,” Shrirupa adds, “That is just so stupid and such a huge waste of human potential. This show is everything about being a woman and it’s high time we learnt to talk about it." As for taking the comical route to a serious issue, Khyati says, "There is something so beautiful about making a joke and making a point at the same time, which I was attracted to as an audience and then I just wanted to be wired in the same way.”
Adds Sejal, “ No one wants to learn about it in a Ted talk, but if you keep them laughing then they're more open-minded about it." Sums up Pragya with a laugh, "Comedy can definitely help ease them into the whole thing. If my uterus is trying to kill me every month, you must know!"
