Monday, November 16, 2015

On Air with AIB - The Joke's on Us.

Fortune truly favours the brave. It was the start of 2015, and the AIB (All India Bakchod) team nearly got roasted themselves with various factions demanding their arrest or severe punishment following a  very controversial "Roast" hosted by them. There was nothing really controversial, and nothing really there for anyone to jump in their seats either. But, it did upset many. Maybe, it was our first tryst with intolerance. In this case what one could or could not laugh at. If the humour in the roast was classified as vulgar and needed strict censoring, then most Bollywood movies would be abridged to a 30 minutes run at best. Well, the AIB boys just sat back and had the last laugh as the matter kept hogging news space for quite some time after the event, and let's not forget the the millions of hits the show got on social media.

Can you believe this news item dated October 15, 2015:

AIB Roast: Seven months on, Mumbai Police to call Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Karan Johar for questioning 

Well, the AIB team should not be complaining one bit. As a recognition of its bravery to take on the system comically, and ability to garner support from much of the youth population, the mobile and internet channel of Star TV "Hotstar" has signed it for a weekly news parody show "On Air with AIB". The theme is comedy in tragedy. My teens are already hooked on it, and while I am not the biggest fan, I do keep up with the episodes. The topics highlighted are right and the humour tame enough to be laughable yet keeping the boys out of what they are best at - getting into trouble.



If I was a sooth, I can for certain say that in a year or so, AIB would be eligible to form its own political party. All they have to do is have one of them arrested and the next thing you know would be a massive protest, candle light vigil, hunger strike, invitation to them by various politicians to join them, news channels and media covering them on main stream TV and national maybe international newspapers, human rights commission and NGOs running a save AIB campaign. Possibilities are endless. They are already giving the ugly eye sore posters and billboards put up by "chamchas" (ass kissers) of various politicians looking to climb the party ladder. At least, the AIB posters are humourous.

If the AIB team is harbouring such an ambition; that is, climbing the political center stage, then it would have to push people to take action on the issues being highlighted and not just laugh it off. Else, at the end of the day, the Joke is on us, and if we haven't already realized it, we are also being readied for a roast in the times to come. I read this article appearing on:


Nov 15 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)
SWAMINOMICS - India is more sensitive now, not more intolerant
Interesting read, but I think, by and large we have become sensitive and intolerant to the wrong issues, and humour is one way of correcting it. With AAP (Aam Admi Party having joined the league of true politicians - talk big achieve nothing) maybe it's time for AIB to put its best foot forward. 

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