Happily ever laughter

South Asians have long clamoured for a seat at the comedy table. Now, Vidura BR, Sabeen Sadiq, Hari Kondabolu and Abby Govindan are in on all the jokes

IF LIFE IS a bitter pill we must learn to swallow, then humour is the Evian that makes it go down easy. Fortunately, South Asians have always been a funny lot, niftily turning gripes into gags and pain into punchlines. And perhaps it was this sab changa si attitude that helped them grow the thick skin required to endure the stereotypical portrayals of their people in pop culture. It’s only years later that brown comics have finally been able to enjoy their well-deserved moment in the sun.

Today, instead of simply expressing gratitude at being in the room among their white counterparts, diaspora comics Vidura BR, Sabeen Sadiq, Hari Kondabolu and Abby Govindan are ensuring that audiences are laughing with them rather than at them. Currently located in different parts of the world, the quartet ask each other unexpected questions in freewheeling conversations for Vogue India—and answer with equally matched spiritedness.

Abby Govindan asks, Vidura BR answers:

You’re extremely gorgeous and funny. Does your back ever hurt from the weight of having everything going for you? 
Thankfully, I have just enough self-loathing to keep my spine intact. I’ve also invested in a feline companion to remind me daily that I ain’t shit, lest I forget.