The recent controversy over the AIB Roast is baffling. Many groups desperate to make themselves relevant; took a moral high ground by unnecessarily dragging the organisers, producers directors and actors of AIB Roast to the court alleging an attack on India’s cultural and traditional values.
Comedy
is an avenue for creative expression. We are a young country that wants to
celebrate humour. Why must we always take ourselves so seriously?
Yes,
the jokes at the AIB Roast were filthy and excessively obscene. I am not
justifying roast sessions where expletives are spouted every five seconds in
front of a large audience. Nevertheless, with the spirit of provoking laughter,
the organisers and the participants of the AIB Roast should be entitled to
express their sense of humour in the manner they creatively choose to.
None of
the celebrities who happily derived pleasure from being roasted with élan or
the thousands of people who purchased tickets to attend the show; were offended
by the vulgar jokes. The men and women present there equally endorsed the roast
and were able to take the indecent jokes in their stride.
On the
other hand, millions of people who watched the AIB Roast on YouTube expressed
their opinions ranging from amusement to utter disgust. Viewers’ discretion was
advised by AIB through a disclaimer at the start of the video. We did have the
option to either watch or entirely ignore the content.
I am
tempted to draw a parallel between the AIB Roast and various problems faced by
women in the country. The hypocrisy and double standards of moral policing are
evident in the country. The silence of moral police when atrocities are
committed against women and children all over the country on a daily basis is
contemptible.
Loony
elements quickly spring into action when they don’t agree with something.
Demanding a ban on books, articles, comedy shows; filing an FIR; sending a
legal notice; targeting individuals by physical attacks and vandalizing their
homes, etc. are among the typical reactions to moral policing that
endangers creative expression.
However,
we don’t find them coming out in support of citizens demanding a safer
environment that allows women to exercise their freedom of choice. We never see
them expressing solidarity with citizens who were outraged by reprehensible
acts of sexual violence against women and children.
We
should roast those people whose primitive mindset is preventing women’s
empowerment and progress. We should roast those people who blatantly disrespect
women. We should literally roast rapists, criminals and misogynists whose
existence makes our streets unsafe for women and children. We should roast
those law enforcement officials who fail to offer adequate protection to women
and are insensitive to their concerns.
We should roast those people who
do not guarantee freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of
expression. We should roast those people who disallow blooming of creative
expression and ideas.
Citizens
are furious by the whims and fancies of the moral police and their attempts at
curtailing freedom of speech (and laughter) in the country. The squeamishness
of the moral police is lamentable and it is time that society reins in the
misplaced sense of righteousness and sanctimony exhibited by them. Moral
policing is a grave threat to our society and must be eliminated to safeguard
various freedoms – including the freedom to laugh – enjoyed by the people of
India.
Freedom
of thought and expression is an immensely valuable gift that must be preserved
and protected from lunatic fringe at any cost.
AIB is
using humour as a rubber sword which allows them to make a point without
drawing blood. AIB might be legally roasted by people who do not agree with
their style of comedy. But it will not discourage them from conducting roast
sessions, make us laugh heartily and help us develop a great sense of humour
that our country desperately needs. After all, laughter is a powerful
stress-relief medicine.
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