Reliably unreliable

Aditi Mittal’s new digital stand-up comedy show reflects the changing times and the challenges that face us while consuming news

Stand up comedy may have managed to put smiles on faces in the middle of the pandemic, and in this new normal, new conversations have started to flow. Jokes have focussed on subjects such as singlehood, women’s issues and social media trends.

A trial show called Unreliable Narrator by popular stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal will open this weekend on Zoom. The show is a take on current times as well as how information relayed could in all possibility be unreliable, casting doubts on the provider of the information. Fake news, a current concern among consumers of news will be in focus as the show plans to pun on popular ideas about whether narratives passed down are correct or bordering on grey areas.

Mittal explains, “The show centres on stories that we read in the lockdown, and their credibility. The reader is always left guessing. It became our reality when the pandemic set in. We didn’t know what the media was telling us. Were authorities sharing 100-per cent accurate information with us? Our lives have contracted to the online sphere where there is more fake than factual information. People lost their sense of identity; even today we are unsure whether a third wave will happen. I’ve used this show to tell a different story from the stand-up that took place in pre-pandemic times.”

Stand-up comedy, which is traditionally energised by a live audience, with cheer from them adding to the experience, has now changed. New concerns have set in relating to issues like connectivity, time-lags and timing. “We have to still maintain the integrity of the material as we perform online; today, we have to worry about whether the audience can even hear our jokes. We have had to adapt our shows in a way that would keep people interested and coming back for more.”

On Today, 8 pm
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Cost Rs 299

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