Political satire as alternative journalism in Indian stand-up comedy

Abstract

Political Satire has changed the way we view comedy. It would be accurate to say that real journalism is more evident in stand-up comedies and less in productive news channels that are also known as the fourth pillar of democracy. Journalism has turned into a laughingstock with all the unnecessary screaming, shouting and pointless/baseless debates. Digital platform has opened its arms wide to memes, stand-up comedies and sitcoms which are not only a visual treat to the audience but has in a way affected day to day lives of people reigning from different walks of life. Political satire through the digital ground has changed the way we perceive politics. Today’s political satire, put forth in the form of stand-up comedies, situational comedies and memes, debunks the status quo. They have revolutionised the content and our perception as to how we perceive important political events. Satire carries the ability to bring about a change in society. This paper is an attempt to understand the journey of Indian Stand-up comedy as an important tool for political satire and how in recent years this has taken the form of alternative journalism.

Keywords:

• Political satire
• journalism
• Indian stand-up comedy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ancy Anna Anto

Ancy Anna Anto is a Research Scholar at Manipal University Jaipur. She pursued her Under-graduation and Post-graduation in English Literature from the University of Madras. Her current research focuses on Stand-up Comedy in India and her interest lies in cultural and media studies with a specific focus on comedy.

Neerja Vyas

Neerja Vyas is working as an Assistant Professor at Manipal University Jaipur. She pursued her doctoral research from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and her thesis explores the area of biopics in Hindi cinema. Her research interest lies in cultural studies explored via cinema and literature. She has published her work in national and international journals and has also presented her work at platforms like London Film and Media (2016) and CineMuseSpace, University of Cambridge (2019).