Rib-tickling jaunt through a woman's mind!

She gave up her hectic life in the world of advertising to follow her true calling--make people laugh. New York-based stand-up comedienne Radhika Vaz had a great time over the weekend, at Epicentre, Gurgaon, regaling the assembled gathering with her show ‘Older, angrier, hairier’.

The Mumbai-born lady who turned forty this year focusses her wit on the challenges of aging in a culture that worships youth. The session was a trip through the mind of a woman who refuses to take life too seriously, mainly because that wouldn’t be funny. The 90-minute show was for adults only as Radhika is known for her risque comedy recommended only for those above 18.

The audience was hugely entertained by the stand-up comedienne’s sharp wit as well as her way of talking. Since the show focussed mainly on the fair sex, their idiosyncracies, their obsession with their looks, figure and of course their age, the ladies were there in a huge numbers and laughed their way through the show, enjoying and agreeing with the jokes and tongue-in-cheek comments 40-year-old Radhika was making.

The evening acquired an altogether different hue when Radhika started pulling the assembled gentry’s leg while talking about the crucial ‘age’ factor.  Poking fun at the female tendency to ‘hide the age’ she said, much to the amusement of the audience, that a 40-year-old woman never discloses her true age; ‘she forever remains stuck on age 30’! Also, the standard reply to any query about a woman’s age is met with the now very familiar counter-question “what do you think”?

Metrolife caught up with the comedienne for a little chit-chat. Speaking about experiences, the high’s and lows in her life, Radhika says she got into stand-up comedy only in the last 12-13 years. “My first show was ‘Unlady like’ which got me into the spotlight. From then, I am continuously making people laugh as I always wanted to. There isn’t any high point yet in my life. It is still very blank. But yes one such thing is ‘when my parents watch my show’. I love that moment.” She adds, “I am writing a book but that too is not near any release.”

“Like some people, I always have a fear in my mind before the show but I don’t bother much about people who leave my show mid-way because of the adult jokes and my style of speaking. I am always there for those who are enjoying my show. Speaking about certain things and poking fun at them doesn’t mean there is no respect for the people. It is after all a comedy show and meant to be in-your-face and
funny,” says the comedienne.