Thursday, June 21, 2012
Comedy Hari Kondabolu shakes up stereotypes at Laughing Skull
Posted by Curt Holman @Curt_Holman on Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Aziz Ansari's performance last night at Tabernacle may have been the best way to tee up Hari Kondabolu's four night stint at The Laughing Skull, June 21-24. Now, I'm totally not saying that the two comics are alike, just because both were born in America and have Indian backgrounds. The coincidence of their visits to Atlanta could help draw attention to Kondabolu, a rising comic whose addresses racial stereotypes and self-consciousness more directly than Ansari typically does.
Kondabolu opens his stint on John Oliver's New York Stand-Up by pointing out that when people ask him, "Where are you from?", that's basically code for "Why aren't you white?"He can get laughs by questioning whether some kind of bigotry drove the invention of white chocolate: "Are you worried about having brown chocolate around your teenage daughter?" Kondabolu lays out his attitudes towards race and comedy in the subtle but devastating short film, "Manoj," about a hacky, probably fictional and highly plausible Indian comic whose act reinforces his audience's racial stereotypes. At one point a comedy club owner encourages Manoj to "get out there and Indian it up!" while his white fans compare him to seeing Apu in real life. It's like a small-scale Andy Kaufman prank for the 21st century.
Kondabolu's bio evokes Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor as comedic role models, but compared to their visceral approach, Kondabolu's jokes have a cerebral quality: it's not surprising to discover that he's a former immigrant rights organizer and holds a Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Economics. Political relevance underpins his jokes without resorting to sanctimony. Plus, as an activist, his digs at protest music and "vegan soul food" sound informed by real experience, and not some obsolete concept of hippie behavior.
Kondabolu's web site also acknowledges, with hilarious frankness, that he made his film debut in Sandra Bullock's Razzie award-winner All About Steve: "which the Boston Globe's Ty Burr said was "to comedy what leprosy once was to the island of Molokai: a plague best contemplated from many miles away." (It should be noted that he had a very small part. It was tiny. He's practically not even in the movie.)"
Comments (2)
Showing 1-2 of 2
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Fahamu Pecou deconstructs 'All Dat Glitters' on the canvas and the mic (and the iPhone) 1
He takes his artistic deconstruction of black masculinity beyond the world of fine arts with a 5-song EP of original music and a mobile app
-
City releases RFP for bike-share program in Atlanta 4
City officials want details from companies about setting up 500-bike program
-
City Council candidate discovers he's running in wrong district 2
Jon Jones plans to pursue City Hall dream regardless with bid to unseat Archibong
- More »
More by Curt Holman
-
Which summer movie is right for you? 2
Our critic has made a flowchart to help you decide
-
'On the Road' never gets into gear
Despite Garrett Hedlund's charismatic turn as a beatnik Pied Piper, this Kerouac adaptation goes on a road to nowhere.
- More »
Search Fresh Loaf
Top Commenters
