Shweta Basu Prasad
Playing stand-up comedian in Comedy Couple, Shweta Basu Prasad stands up for comics and their freedom to express
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; October 15, 2020)

Shweta Basu Prasad quips that her sense of humour is similar to that of Phoebe Buffay in Friends — kooky and unintentionally funny. "My jokes are all over the place. My brother said that he will finally be able to laugh at my jokes in Comedy Couple because they are thankfully written by someone else," laughs the actor, who features as one-half of a successful stand-up comedian duo in the film. After featuring in the critically acclaimed satire Serious Men, Prasad is excited to try her hand at an out-and-out comedy.

Through the lead couple, the Zee5 film studies the burgeoning stand-up comedy scene of India. A fan of Aditi Mittal and Zakir Khan's gigs, Prasad says it is shameful how comics are sometimes issued threats and subjected to brutal trolling for providing a contrarian view. "Indian comedians are doing a great job. The job comes with risks — those who attempt satire in their acts, often land in trouble. We live in a democracy; so, I feel bad when they bear the brunt for expressing themselves. Comedy is a beautiful art form where you can [provide a commentary] on people and society [through the lens of humour]."