On queer stand-up stage, it isn’t all gay: Navin Noronha says you have to be OK with not making same money as peers

Noronha came out of the closet at his first ever open mic in 2014.

By Apoorva Puranik, ET Bureau | Updated: Jul 09, 2019, 11.59 AM IST

Navin Noronha hosts a weekly podcast called ‘Keeping it Queer’ that he launched in 2016.

BENGALURU: It was in 2014, at his first ever open mic in Mumbai, that Navin Noronha came out of the closet. “It was not planned, but I’m glad it happened,” he says.

Being queer in comedy is not easy. In fact, Noronha could be India’s only openly gay stand-up comedian. So why is it difficult for others, who identify as queer, to come out? “It’s because gay rights in India are still at a very nascent stage, as is comedy,” Noronha says. Also, it is only recently that different narratives are seeing the light of day in stand-up content. So, coming out publicly is not a choice many make.

“It needs a special kind of bravery” says Farhad Karkaria, who cohosts a weekly podcast with Noronha called ‘Keeping it Queer’. Noronha launched the podcast in 2016, and it had 900 listeners in the first month. Three seasons hence, it has 5,000 dedicated listeners. From monogamy and marriage as a heteronormative concept to gay pride month and the #MeToo movement, they cover it all in the podcast. “We did a show on LGBT beauty pageants too, which is never spoken about in pop culture. We are trying to mainstream such conversations,” Karkaria says.

A common reaction comedienne Vasu Primlani gets when she talks about being gay in India is: “She seems so normal, how could she be gay?” The Delhi-based comic has lived in the US for a long time. “The reception in India is so different. It’s taken me a while to get accustomed to the crowd here, so I get it when people remain closeted. Normalisation is key,” she says. “I am so much more than a gay comedienne.”

Delhi-based Vasu Primlani has lived in the US for a long time.

Ask Noronha about the challenges of being a queer standup comic, he quips, “You have to be OK with the idea that you might not make the kind of money your peers do,” because corporate shows, which bring home the bucks, are hard to come by. “I’ve had comedy curators tell me to not talk about being gay because there are families in the audience. It’s funny because at one show, before me, a guy was talking about his wife and his girlfriend.”

Homophobia and jokes about the community have been low- hanging fruit, but things are changing. “Comedians, too, are getting sensitised about what is offensive and what is funny. A lot of times, before doing jokes about the community, some comedians run it past me.” Noronha says. His mantra is simple: “Crack a nasty joke, but make it funny.”

Some Gay & Lesbian Films That Left A Mark

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Signalling winds of change, the Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a colonial-era ban on gay sex . A five-judge panel in the Supreme Court was unanimous in its decision to end the law, commonly known as "Section 377", that prohibits "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal".

As the country, and the world hails the move, here's a look at some gay and lesbian films that were endearing and left a lasting impression.