Attend this show featuring an all queer line-up of comics in Mumbai

Why the name Queer Rated Comedy mdash is the first question we ask citybased standup comedian Navin Noronha as he speaks to us on a late morning call fresh from his foreign tour ldquoThat is a pun on curated comedy which is what most comedy gigs arerdquo he quips From what started as Zoom call sessions with openly out comedians during the Covid19 pandemic to touring Indian cities with all queer lineups mdash Noronha has charted quite a journey with the showAayushi Jagad Navin Noronha Ritushree Panigrahi and Madhvendra SinghldquoWhen you travel to Australia Europe or the United States of America you can see how queer comics flourish there In India there is obviously a lack of representation The idea was to create an inclusive environment where these brilliant artistes can test their material Over time you notice how everybody is bringing different perspectives to the table and developing their own content which is lovely to witnessrdquo Noronha tells ahead of another set of Queer Rated Comedy that he is hosting alongside fellow standup comics Madhvendra Singh Ankur Tangade Ritushree Panigrahi and Aayushi Jagad at a Bandra venueAn extension of the ongoing exhibition To Make a Home With You curated by Mihir Thakkar that explores the human need for acceptance comfort and belonging for the queer community as well as allies the standup show seeks to build the momentum for the evening on a similar idea seasoned with humour and punctuated with anecdotes ldquoIt is amazing to host an event that is solely based on queer comedy Contemporary art should provide an immersive experience to people which is what the comedians in the show will try to do with their setsrdquo elaborates Ayesha Parikh the curator of the galleryAnkur TangadeFor Tangade a Dalit queer standup comic and the cofounder of Blue Material an all Dalit lineup of standup comedians the journey has been one of accidental discoveries ldquoComedy happened to me by chance I used to watch a lot of live comedy openmic events and felt that I can do this too When I had just started performing comedy I noticed how everybody in the room would be an upper caste person For a long period of time I tried to follow the same pattern of comedy in the hope of being relatable to the audiencerdquo she recalls adding how exploring her sexuality pushed her to talk about her own experiences ldquoItrsquos quite funny actually I would make these jokes on stage as to why women are hitting on me and if I am giving them queer vibes and cut to now where I openly talk about my pansexualityrdquo she explains Travelling from her home in Beed to Mumbai this weekend Tangade will explore the nuances of her identities and their interplay in the context of a small town to the metropolitan audiences of Mumbai mdash an idea that also informs the material ofRitushree PanigrahildquoMy set is all about the experience of being a transwoman in my personal as well as my corporate liferdquo Panigrahi shares From finding humour in corporate spaces to talking about her gender identity the HR professionalrsquos journey from starting out with small gigs in Bhubaneswar to touring India and hosting many sets with this show is full of personal wins and sheer talent ldquoThough my family has been supportive of me there is still a strong homomisic mindset that guides peoplersquos prejudices Hopefully with awareness this will breakrdquo she explains while also telling us about the AQA or Ask Queers Anything a unique feature of the show where the comedians armed with wit will answer questions related to the LGBTQiA communityON May 17 7 pm to 830 pmAT Art and Charlie Pali Village Bandra WestLOG ON TO wwwartandcharliecom for ticketsCOST Rs 350atOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params