'Give Gaali if…': Javed Akhtar's Message for Stand-Up Comedians Trying to Be Witty

Javed Akhtar recently appeared on episode three of Chill Sesh hosted by Sapan Verma, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Shreeja Chaturvedi, where he spilled beans on a lot of things. Akhtar, who is known for his articulate expressions coupled with poetic flair, was asked about his views on swearing in comedy. And his response was something comedians like Samay Raina should take note of.

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“So, what’s your perspective on whether swearing should be included in comedy or not? What do you think?” Verma asked Akhtar.

In response, Akhtar shared an interesting analogy: “I’ll tell you one thing. In Odisha, Bihar, and Mexico, and anywhere in the world where there is poverty, people eat a lot of chilli because the food is bland. So, to add some flavour, they eat chilli.”

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He further expressed, “Swearing is the chilli of language. If you can speak well and are witty enough, you don’t need this chilli. If the conversation is bland, you’ll throw in some swear words just to give it some energy.”

“You’ve poetically insulted stand-up comedians; it feels bad, but it also feels good in a way,” Verma replied.

Watch the video here:

Here’s how people reacted to this video here:

“Sir, is acting as if his son didn’t produce Mirzapur,” expressed an individual, referring to Farhan Akhtar.

Another added, “On the brighter side, none of the comics took an offence. If it was any other industry, you know the reaction.”

“I agree with him on this. I don’t care if comedians swear in their act or not. But the ones who have great sense of humour and excellent hold of language they rarely need to use swear words in their act. Take for example Ravi Gupta. He rarely swears but is hilarious,” said a third.

A fourth commented, “Delhi has the best food. Poverty is also not that high. And gaalis are used freely. Similar for Punjab. This is a cultural thing also at the end of the day.”

“Aptly put. These said comedians including all those on Kapil Sharma show, NEVER makes me laugh. I hate them…. There was only one real comedian, Raju Srivastav,” said a fifth.

A sixth joined, “Being from Delhi even I never liked gaali galauch in standup. Javed saab is spot on!”

“Bang on. 90% of new age stand up comedians are terrible,” chimed in a seventh.