Comedian Radhika Vaz is currently on tour in India with her critically acclaimed one-woman show Unladylike. The show has received rave reviews in New York, where Radhika is based and has been running to full houses across India. The show is an intelligent, raunchy and comical take of a woman’s perspective on life, from adolescence to maturity. We had a short yet hilarious chat with the Mumbai girl who is being touted as the Indian Wanda Sykes!
Team MissMalini: Do your friends/family ever worry their experience will make it to your act?
RV: Yes they do, and they should because they are all nutters of one kind or other. I usually check with them before I put anything in print but with my dad and mum I will admit I take advantage of the fact that they are my parents… I never check with them!
Team MissMalini: What’s the one most unladylike thing you’ve ever done?
RV: There are a whole host of things that have happened, but farting in a closed car with my husband and his friends and then stupidly owning up to it is the one that jumps to mind.
Team MissMalini: Who are your favorite stand-up comedians?
I am a big fan of Chris Rock. But my favorite comedians are not all stand ups, I love the creators of the show Little Britain, I love comedic actors like Gilda Radner, Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin. That is what I aspire to, comedic roles in film and on stage.
Team MissMalini: Since you’re open about your reality-show addiction, what is your favorite show?
RV: Oh lord, this is really going to show me for the moron I am! There is a show called The Real Housewives, and they have many versions, New York, Miami, etc. It’s about the lives of the rich and relatively famous, shows them back stabbing each other and being petty and obnoxious I am ashamed to say that I watch them all when I can, it makes me feel like a better person. Isn’t that sad?! I also watch Keeping up with the Kardashians. I can’t get enough of Kim Kardashian’s great, big arse.
Team MissMalini: You’ve described yourself as a “Slightly Grouchy Indian” on Twitter, I have to ask why and may I borrow it sometimes?
RV: Because that is what I am, it’s my go to mood. I am not one of those sunny, happy people; I am a cranky shrew who must have adequate sleep and food in order to function properly. Anything less and the broomstick comes out immediately. And yes, use it by all means!
Team MissMalini: How do you come up with new material?
RV: By sitting in front of a blank piece of paper and then after procrastinating for hours on end finally just writing and writing and writing, and repeating that every day until I have something worth rewriting! You are a writer from what I can tell so you know what it’s like!
Team MissMalini: What’s the one thing you miss the most about Mumbai?
RV: The vibe. I can’t describe it but I get to Bombay and start feeling a little cocky, a little bit of a smart ass! It’s not me it’s the city, it does that to you! And I was born here so I feel like I have a little Bombay in me.
Our very own Ashwin Mushran attended the show and told us he absolutely loved it, “Thought it was a great look at how conservative India and Indian women can be. I absolutely loved the irreverent subject matter. Radhika handled the subject fabulously and moved the show along quite well. Some bits were especially funny to me because I went to school with her husband, so all the bit mentioning him and his friends were especially amusing. All in all a very funny show with an original script and performed by a female Indian comic which is still rare to see.”
Visit Radhika’s blog for more entertainment! www.radvaz.com