Juggling home renovation with Bhaag Beanie Bhaag promotions, Swara Bhasker jokes that her life currently is a lot like the series' working title, Messy. Admittedly "always in a mess", she could easily relate to the protagonist of the Netflix series. "Also, I have become synonymous with issue-based stories. So, this is my effort to avoid getting boxed," begins the actor, who plays Beanie, a young woman who calls off her engagement to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.

After the show's trailer dropped online, many felt it bore a striking resemblance to The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Bhasker, who has yet to watch the Rachel Brosnahan-led comedy, dismisses the comparisons. "When we watch an actioner with a hero playing a cop, we don't say it's like every other cop flick. We don't compare Dil Chahta Hai [2001] to Sholay [1975] [because of their theme of friendship]. We are used to seeing similar male-fronted stories; female-fronted shows aren't the norm. So when we see a series about a female comic struggling on stage, it becomes [akin to] The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Every show can't be assessed on a one-line [concept]. Bhaag Beanie is about a woman who is learning to say no to society's expectations."

To perfect her act, she was guided by comics Sumukhi Suresh, Sumaira Shaikh and Anubhav Bassi. She is quick to add that Beanie's jokes on screen don't mirror her causes. "I don't want my work to push my own agendas. At work, I am an actor who is servicing the vision of a director. On Twitter, I am an actor with a voice that reaches millions. I am a loudspeaker to put forth voices that are lost in the fringes. I wish we weren't in a world where it is unusual for actors to speak up."

In July, comedian Agrima Joshua was subjected to rape threats after she joked about Maharashtra government's project of building Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in the Arabian sea. The incident highlighted the prejudices against female comics in India. "Female comics don't need an artiste to speak up for them; they can do it on their own. But, as a society, we laugh more easily at men's jokes than that of women. That said, with more women comics out there, we are headed towards better times."

Still from The Marvelous Mrs Maisel