“Not sure if I was joking.” – Every comedian with an alter ego.
Alter egos have become a huge part of the way we create and consume comedy. They present an outlet for comics to explore a persona/topic/express a side of themselves that they may not be able to more straightforwardly for various reasons.
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a whole bunch of content creators across social media creating comedy gold through different avatars. Of course, you already know Mallika Dua’s plethora of Delhi caricatures, and Bhuvan Bam’s multiple personalities on BB Ki Vines. Here are some you may have missed.
1. Vicky Malhotra (Varun Thakur)
A very pretty funstastic struggling actor and D-E-E-J-A-Y, Vicky Malhotra is very pretty famous for his amazing style of speaking and his dad’s money. With his ridiculous Ed Hardy T-shirt and leather jacket combos, Varun has managed to make almost everyone laugh through Vicky and his fuckboi eccentrics.
2. Uncle Francis (Naveen Richard)
One of the men responsible for bringing about South Indian representation in mainstream Indian comedy, Naveen Richard’s character, Uncle Francis will make you crack the hell up every time you see him. Everyone has that annoying relative who listens to ABBA, pronounces their own name funnily and cannot stop obsessing over technology and young peoples’ lifestyles and Uncle “Prawn-Jizz” is exactly that!
3. Behti Naak & Pushpavalli (Sumukhi Suresh)
Suresh’s character, Behti, is one of the best examples of satirical sketch comedy on the Indian internet and has won multiple hearts and handkerchiefs. With about nine videos on YouTube and guest appearances on Son of Abish, she talks about things like the faults in our sanskaars and gender inequalities at home.
Another one of Sumukhi’s alternate personalities is Pushpavalli, the titular character of her Amazon Prime web series. Loosely based on her own life (!), Pushpavalli as a fictional creation is a delight to watch–except when she’s got her eyes on you.
4. Dr. Mrs. Savitri Lutchuke (Aditi Mittal)
Dr. Mrs. Lutchuke is a character who is “just like your mother only!” A Sexologist-Psycho-logist-Fekologist, Mittal’s character sports an over-the-top Marathi accent and hilarious interpretations of sex and sexual education. Even though she isn’t as much in the limelight as before, Dr. Mrs. Lutchuke set a benchmark for any comic who wants to create a character.
5. #InstaKavi (Aadar Malik & Trupti Khamkar)
Arz kiya hai…
Shaayar, kavi toh bohot milenge duniya mein humein,
Shaayar, kavi toh bohot milenge duniya mein humein,
par jazbaaton ko exploit kar ke suna rahein hain #InstaKavi in a very funny way!
(Yes, we know that’s terrible. But it’s not a competition.)
Aadar Malik ji and Trupti Khamkar ji have written these short poems on many issues like friendzone and fuckbois, and stories of his bar dancer mom to when his smuggler baap served time.
6. Tobasco (Rahul Subramanian)
Meet Tobasco—The Motivational Speaker. In a Q&A format, Subramanian answers random questions from his followers in extremely honest and unique ways. They definitely seem like solutions he might have tried in his life and is just using Tobasco as a cover to impart his profound wisdom.
7. Prashant the Gujju Bee (Sahil Shah)
Now this creature has a bit of a niche audience, but Prashant The Gujju Bee and his wife Parul The Gujju Deer make an appearance every time the folks at Snapchat bring the Bee and Deer filter back. With an accent that’s kinda annoying to Gujaratis themselves, Shah makes it very clear that bees and deer also matter, and they need to be heard.
8. Rajesh (Biswa Kalyan Rath)
And the latest entry to the gang of alter egos, Rajesh. A mutual fund advisor with some amazing advice on where to put money or, depending on the situation, yourself at. It requires a few repeat watches because you can either pay attention to what he’s saying, or get sucked into the vision that is a toothless Biswa. Not both at the same time, you’re not a goddamn ninja.
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