Comedy is just a funny way of being serious. This quote perhaps encapsulates the mission of comedy collective All India Bakchod (AIB) in the best way. Yes, AIB is often associated with rib-tickling, slice of life videos like Honest Indian Weddings, Engineering Campus Placements or the one on Indian ads. They also collaborate with actors – Alia Bhatt for Genius of the Year, Irrfan Khan for The Party Song – and have done podcasts with Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. But the Indian comedy group, headed by Gursimran Khamba, Tanmay Bhatt, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya, never shies away from dabbling with political satire and ongoing issues. Be it generating awareness about the negative impact of Facebook’s proposed ‘Free Basics’ app or passing a comment on Congress’ loss in the 2014 general elections, AIB has been at the forefront of change in the comedy industry in India.
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The most recent example of their skill to use humour as a powerful tool is in the video called ‘An Ode to Karni Sena’. AIB stands tall at a time when ‘censorship’ and ‘ban’ have become the buzz words. Their experiments with using humour to put across a relevant social message, however, always strikes a chord with the younger generation. Today, the team at AIB has expanded multi-fold. They operate out of an office in Mumbai, where a group of writers, actors and collaborates come together to create phenomenal content.
AIB’s content not just tickles one’s funny bones, but also brings to the fore issues that tend to get relegated to the backburner. At times their boldness backfires. For instance with the AIB Roast, featuring Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, or the SnapChat video of Tanmay Bhat imitating Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar. But these are tiny hurdles in comparison to the plethora of good content churned out by the creative minds.
Here are 5 times AIB highlighted a social issue brilliantly through satire/comedy:
An Ode to Karni Sena:
This satirical video is related to the various events and attacks that took place before and after the release of the Hindi film Padmaavat. One of the attacks was on a school bus with children in Gurugram. A video of the incident which surfaced online showed children huddled in the bus while stones were pelted. The Karni Sena was believed to be responsible for this attack, but they have denied it. The incident received a lot of flak from across the country. This video features school kids inside a school bus singing in chorus and has powerful lines such as ‘Nikaal Lo Saari Bhadaas Humpe…Akhir Hum To Hain Bachhe..Vote Nahi Kar Sakte and Todoge Haddiyan Hum Bacchon Ki, News Banegi Tabhi’. The hard-hitting lyrics sung in a sweet melodious tune leave a deep impact on the viewer.
My Friend Revisor:
Uploaded in January 2018, this video is an excellent take on the taboos surrounding homosexuality. It busts myths and tells people that it is absolutely normal to love the person of the same sex. The brilliance of this video is that it makes a case for homosexuality without mentioning the word even once. It is being touted as one of AIB’s best creations till date. Subtle acting, powerful dialogues and clever wordplay make this a must watch. Watch it to know why we say this. But remember to read between the lines!
Harassment Through The Ages:
In collaboration with film actors Richa Chadda and Vicky Kaushal, AIB created a masterpiece in the form of Harassment Through The Ages. Stalking, chasing and wooing a girl till she agrees to your proposal is a common theme in Bollywood films. But at a time when consent and ‘No, means No’ is gaining ground, lyrics such as ‘Ye uska style hoyinga, hoton pe na dil mein haan hoyinga’ stick out as a sore thumb. This video highlights how ‘consent’ was a non-existent concept in Bollywood films for a long time. Brilliant performances not just take one down the memory lane, but also successfully draw your attention to how films sometimes normalised harassment.
Bollywood Diva Song:
If there was one word from 2017 which almost every Indian will remember, then it has to be ‘nepotism’. And the credit for restarting talk on this subject is actor Kangana Ranaut. Known for her fearless attitude of calling a spade a spade, Kangana collaborated with AIB to create the Bollywood Diva Song. This song, set to the tune of Jaqueline Fernandez’s ‘Chittiyan Kalaiyan Ve’ is a take on all things wrong with Bollywood. From sexism to nepotism and stereotypes to objectification, this song says it as it is.
Demonetisation Circus:
When the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes was announced by the government on November 8, 2016, not many were prepared for what would happen next. While the long-term benefits were looked at, the short-term problems were too many to be discounted. And it wasn’t long before AIB came out with a video on the chaos that followed. The video depicts the shortage of cash, long ATM lines, policy flip-flops and other issues that surfaced. It is one of the few videos where AIB dabbles with dark comedy, and is a bold attempt by the comedy group. AIB in Trouble Again: Top Controversies of All India Bakchod from Snapchat Dog Filter on PM Modi Doppelganger to Infamous Roast
Besides these, AIB has also come out with powerful videos on issues like rape. In the video, Kalki Koechlin says ‘It’s your fault’ with an earnest expression. This is a sarcastic dig aimed at people who blame the victim for the rape or molestation. It challenges mindsets and was a brave effort. As is evident, since 2012, AIB has churned out great content that have earned them fans not just in India, but also across the world. Media conglomerate Star India also collaborated with AIB for a news-comedy show called ‘On Air With AIB’, which has completed two seasons.