Interesting watch: Odisha standup comedians make parody video on domestic violence

Bhubaneswar: With many debates and discussions in conclaves and conventions, social media updates, tributes and dedications, everyone seems to be caught up in the International Women’s Day fervor. Keeping in line with this trending topic, Odisha’s famed stand-up comedy troupe, The Chain Jokers, has released a Women’s Day special video, Aa chal Ke Tujhe-Parody, to commemorate this day dedicated to women.

This video is a parody of a popular Bollywood song and depicts the malady of domestic violence against women. Posted on YouTube through the channel, Grains Media, this video has been conceptualised and directed by Kushal Kanungo, a freelance stand-up comedian, who is popular for his witty and satirical comebacks and monologues.

“We picked domestic violence as our theme because majority of the population is suffering from this menace. It does not matter if you are a bureaucrat or a peon, irrespective of financial status and educational qualification, people from all strata of society are culprits of inflicting violence on their female counterparts,” said Kushal.

Shot and processed in about a week, this video is being widely shared on social media platforms due to the comic nature of the lyrics and the stark reality of women and their position in society, it depicts. “We chose a Hindi song, because we wanted to reach out to a wider audience,” said Roshan Bisoi, who has also acted in the video.

The parody lyrics have been penned by Priyaranjan Sahoo while Bivash Rath has lent his voice to the song. It is an attempt to address the issue of domestic violence while exhorting women to fight back.