It’s been long since body shaming jokes have been sadly normalized on comedy shows and stand-up acts. Fortunately, many have objected to the discourse, stating that some of these jokes go way below the belt and are outright offensive.

In a recent interview with YouTuber Ashdin Doctor (The Habit Coach), actor-comedian Sumona Chakravarti opened up on how demeaning jokes about her lips by fellow actors on a comedy show left her hurt. Earlier, celebs including Archana Puran Singh, Kiku Sharda, Neha Kakkar and many others have been at the receiving end of such body-shaming digs.

Addressing the larger issue, some comedians weigh in on where to draw a line when it comes to cracking jokes on a person’s physical appearance.

Comedian-host Bharti Singh opines that whenever a person feels offended by such jokes, they must say it “loud and clear in the first time itself”. “It does not make sense to get up and express one day how it was disrespectful. I’m sure nobody would repeat it if your boundaries are established,” asserts Singh, who happily takes such jokes on herself.

She doesn’t mind being laughed at for her weight because she is “secure” in her space. She explains, “Someone’s joke cannot decide my respect or how I feel about myself.”

Actor-comedian Gaurav Gera feels the culture has diminished over a period of time. “Thankfully, the whole world has united to share their opinions on this topic on the internet. What the person on the other side feels should be observed and jokes have to be developed keeping that it mind,” he states, hoping that with so much talent in our country, “we can come up with fresh ideas and innovative humour”.

Stand-up comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi feels one “can’t outrightly mock anyone or pass distasteful comments”.

He says, “If I have a doubt that some statement might hurt someone, then I don’t take the risk. It’s an art to convey important points in a comical way.”

Bassi adds that jokes on body image have been done to death. “Priyadarshan ki movies mein yeh sab already ho chuka hai. If I want to do something better, I need to come up with newer ideas,” he notes.

On hitting below the belt and making personal comments in the name of fun, actor-comedian Sunil Grover says, “I just want people to laugh and for that, I do not support making personal comments that may hurt others. If I can make people laugh without the personal remarks, then why to unnecessarily poke anyone or hurt their sentiments or trigger their insecurities.”

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“I felt really bad. After the show (a show with actor-comedian Kapil Sharma), I became very conscious of my mouth. I would not wear a bright lipstick.”

- Sumona Chakravarti