Fiasco-e-AIB – fake, faulty, fiery, or free

SUNDAY POST FEB 15-21

PIYUSH ROY

AIB and its infamous live Knockout ‘roasting’ of Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, in Mumbai late last year, still refuses to go off our chat, debate, cultural, social and now legal spaces. ‘Roasting’ is a form of American comic art that originated in 1949, in which participants are verbally abused in the filthiest language – the more vulgar and horrible the better – before a live audience for entertainment. In the context of the AIB show, about 4,000 attendees paid `4,000 per ticket to see rising young stars, Arjun and Ranveer, get ‘roasted’ by the AIB team and other celebrities. It was a private show that was made public on YouTube early this year. Ever since legal threats, apology demands, and even a ban on the ‘stars’ and host Karan Johar, have been on the rise in social, cultural and certain religious spaces. The net and Twitter space have been generating ample support voices too with counter arguments for the ‘freedom of (any) expression’. But all of India’s young is not ecstatically backing the AIB, just as not all elders were outraged by the show (Karan Johar’s mother was part of the show’s live audience).
Here’s a sampling of reviews from Indians in Edinburgh – ‘educated and liberal’ adults, students, parents, teachers, executives… – of the YouTube version of the Knockout. Between them, they summarise all the arguments and counter arguments on the debate so far.
“I absolutely loved the concept and found the humour cool. I don’t eat beef as a practicing Hindu but I don’t go about saying take beef off the menu when I go to a restaurant. Viewing discretion should be and is a choice, but tolerance is not.”
– Pankaj Singh, 27, engineer
“I have always admired Karan Johar as a wonderful person with great respect and relationship skills, but all has been washed away in one stroke by none other than Karan himself. Speaking such foul language in front of his mother in the name of entertainment made me think how all through his career he had shown respect and family values in films like K3G etc. So, is this the real Karan Johar, and were all those message and sanskari drama used only as a formula to make money from tradition celebrating audiences?”
– Vikas Dubey, 33, corporate executive
“Kamaal R Khan said if someone insults you in Hindi you get offended but if they do it in English you say waah waah. But KJo having done what you did, now when people like KRK or Ashok Pandit are having a field day ridiculing you, how fair is it for you or your supporters to feel ‘offended’?”
– Azhar, 19, trainee chef and KRK fan
 “Ashok Pandit (of the new and unimproved government-appointed censor board) is opposing AIB’s roast and surprise or surprises, the Indian (right-wing Hindu) moral police are back in action to safeguard the nation’s cultural values against stand-up comedians. Are we going back to the dark ages? AIB are a bunch of clowns doing what they want to do – exercising their right to free speech and expression, as they should be allowed in a democracy! The eminently encouraging feature of this fiasco is AIB’s espousal of satire and self-critique, lampooning, caricaturing, and sending oneself up… something India has rarely been able to do because of a culture of self-imposed censorship largely contributing to a pandemic of moral policing and the violent suppression of alternative articulations. Let it be noted that the participating individuals at the controversial event were attendees by choice… exercising their right to be roasted’! Also ‘vyangya’ – irony or self-reflexive sarcasm came to the fore at the AIB show, which can only augur well for a nation whose desire for consumer-driven commercial progress desperately needs to be matched by a mature, progressive socio-cultural worldview.”
– Ashvin Devasundaram, 36, filmmaker
“Here’s why I don’t support AIB and their dumb reason for pulling off the video. Government pressure? I call that bullshit. It’s more like publicity stunt and basic economics – create demand by limiting supply. That’s exactly what they’re doing. The roast is now more famous than it could have possibly been thanks to all the publicity. I’m all for capitalism and the right to make money with the sweat on your brow and strength of your back; what I’m against is hypocrisy. And that’s exactly what AIB is doing. I’m not going to take the time to write a dumb open letter to them because that’s a royal waste of time. But AIB, if you’re going to diss. others for wanting to make money off you, what makes your efforts at cheap publicity any different? To sum it up, stop claiming to be ‘self-righteous’ when you’re just as mortal as the rest of us & money grabbing Bollywood.”
– Neel Chakraborty, 22, law student
“How different are Shakti Kapoor’s lusty ‘aau-s’, Gulshan Grover’s titillating rape scenes, and bad Bollywood slapstick any different from the quality of AIB’s humour? Just because the former is served in the Hindi language and consumed by illiterate masses at Rs. 40, the intellectuals call it vulgar. Just because similar crap is served in English @ Rs 4000, it suddenly becomes a celebration of freedom of expression…”
– Saira Menezes, 48, housewife
Having read the above comments, just when I was about to offer a take of mine, I read my father’s Facebook status – “Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of. It’s also a beautiful way to understand… LIFE!” One would be quite tempted to draw generalised conclusions about Karan Johar, the AIB team, Ranveer and Arjun, depending on the socio-traditional, and even generational conditioning one comes from. Reactions have ranged from cheeky applause to damning vilification, but I am more concerned about the generalisations that have been offered onto the larger debate.
Why every critique of any ‘debatable’ art or idea in India, has to be immediately seen as ‘right-wing’ or another excuse for Hinduism bashing? Most criticism of the AIB Knockout (only) and not all its episodes, has been about it being ‘un-Indian’, and that’s why Mumbai churches (the religious) and art bodies (the culture-conscious) have independently asked for the same thing – apologies to those who had not consented to be abused. Yes, those who were on the stage, had agreed to be ‘roasted’, but why insult the absent (Simi Garewal/ Farida Jalal/ Amitabh Bachchan) and the holy (Jesus Christ). The film industry’s veneration of its seniors is an Indian way of life. Karan Johar has been a favourite with award shows for giving lifetime achievement award introductions. After seeing him smirk through an extremely demeaning reference to Farida Jalal, how genuine or convincing would that next glowing tribute to a veteran from him will be…
Karan’s good friend, Shah Rukh Khan had stated at the 2012 Yale University Chubb Fellowship lecture – “We are the only film industry in the world to have survived Hollywood because we still believe in stars. We don’t think a movie star is just a professional, we look up to him or her as role models. The whole system of looking up to someone, or trying to find a hero has made Indian cinema survive.” Karan Johar is no ‘struggling’ Arjun Kapoor or ‘upstart’ AIBs; it really doesn’t matter what the latter think or do, their influence doesn’t exceed their space. But Karan is one of Bollywood’s best known global ambassadors and a modern cultural icon. Needles to add; ‘great influence comes with greater responsibilities’!
Most reviews of the ‘satire’ quotient of AIB since its happening have complained about the repetitiveness of its jokes. On similar themes, both Qtiyapa and So-Sorry have been far more intelligent and entertaining. As regards the ‘roasting’ itself; most of the comics (exception Tanmay Bhat, Gursimran Khamba, Aditi Mittal) seemed tad trying to be funny. They could not be compelling for even an hour, something which Comedy Nights with Kapil has been doing for weeks, packing in far superior punches of self-deprecating humour. Controversy or manufactured publicity, especially of the negative kind, has always been a survival tool of the mediocre – think MNS, ABHM? The AIB assault is nothing more than the ISIS of Comedy!
Wish Ashok Pundit, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, the Archbishop of Mumbai… had just ignored the AIB, to let it vanish with its 15-days of fame. Instead, by acknowledging it, they have lend to its mediocrity a confused halo of ‘art’. Now that, if I can borrow a signature ‘Hindu’ lament, is the dawn of ‘ghor Kali Yug’ 🙂