<p>Female stand-ups in Bengaluru say they have to overcome prejudice before they get gigs.</p>.<p>Shrirupa Sengupta, who performs regularly at Urban Solace, says expectations are higher when women comics get on stage.</p>.<p>“I was not quite aware of the bias. I was only prepared for it at a superficial level,” she says.</p>.<p>One problem could be that the jokes women crack make men uncomfortable.</p>.<p>“A lot of people think women onstage would speak about experiences that are too real to be comical in nature,” she says.</p>.<p>Then come other restrictions, such as what the audiences consider appropriate for women comedians.</p>.<p>“They expect us to talk decently and in a mature manner, and follow a code of conduct,” she says, adding that such expectations create creative blocks.</p>.<p>Not everyone is deterred by the restrictions, though. </p>.<p>“Despite all the heckling challenges and hindrances, it’s really gratifying to prove with your work what you stand for,” says stand-up Sunetra Pandit, whose last show was at Prayog Studio at Kattaraguppe , Bangalore.</p>.<p>For Seema Rao, being a female comedian is ‘a bit gruelling.’ As a mother and stand-up comic, she often finds it difficult to balance her art and domestic responsibilities.</p>.<p>“If there is a show, I have to make arrangements for someone to take care of my daughter,” she says.</p>.<p>She finds a ‘disparity of response’ when she performs: the audience is set to hear jokes from a male perspective. </p>.<p>“There is definitely a barrier to verbalising things that don’t fit in,” she says.<br /><br /><strong>Women’s narratives</strong></p>.<p>Seema Rao: As part of ‘Hysterical hormones’, which had an all woman line up, she talked about being called an aunty, polygamy vs polyandry etc. This was at a gig performed at the Teal Door Cafe in Indiranagar.</p>.<p>Shrirupa Rao: “I am Dating a radical feminist. A Feminazi. And I am not Gay” — a quote from her show ‘P.S Bring 12 Tomatoes’ at Evam Stand-Up Tamasha</p>.<p>Sunetra Pandit said this at a gig at Vyoma Art Space “Logic never works. Only Mom’s magic works.”</p>
<p>Female stand-ups in Bengaluru say they have to overcome prejudice before they get gigs.</p>.<p>Shrirupa Sengupta, who performs regularly at Urban Solace, says expectations are higher when women comics get on stage.</p>.<p>“I was not quite aware of the bias. I was only prepared for it at a superficial level,” she says.</p>.<p>One problem could be that the jokes women crack make men uncomfortable.</p>.<p>“A lot of people think women onstage would speak about experiences that are too real to be comical in nature,” she says.</p>.<p>Then come other restrictions, such as what the audiences consider appropriate for women comedians.</p>.<p>“They expect us to talk decently and in a mature manner, and follow a code of conduct,” she says, adding that such expectations create creative blocks.</p>.<p>Not everyone is deterred by the restrictions, though. </p>.<p>“Despite all the heckling challenges and hindrances, it’s really gratifying to prove with your work what you stand for,” says stand-up Sunetra Pandit, whose last show was at Prayog Studio at Kattaraguppe , Bangalore.</p>.<p>For Seema Rao, being a female comedian is ‘a bit gruelling.’ As a mother and stand-up comic, she often finds it difficult to balance her art and domestic responsibilities.</p>.<p>“If there is a show, I have to make arrangements for someone to take care of my daughter,” she says.</p>.<p>She finds a ‘disparity of response’ when she performs: the audience is set to hear jokes from a male perspective. </p>.<p>“There is definitely a barrier to verbalising things that don’t fit in,” she says.<br /><br /><strong>Women’s narratives</strong></p>.<p>Seema Rao: As part of ‘Hysterical hormones’, which had an all woman line up, she talked about being called an aunty, polygamy vs polyandry etc. This was at a gig performed at the Teal Door Cafe in Indiranagar.</p>.<p>Shrirupa Rao: “I am Dating a radical feminist. A Feminazi. And I am not Gay” — a quote from her show ‘P.S Bring 12 Tomatoes’ at Evam Stand-Up Tamasha</p>.<p>Sunetra Pandit said this at a gig at Vyoma Art Space “Logic never works. Only Mom’s magic works.”</p>