Karthik spent quite some time finding the right note for Aansplaining through 28 tester shows. “When we did tester shows, we used to keep changing the ratio of men and women in the room. I always started seeing that the show was a cracker when there were 8 women and 2 men in the house. The show was a quiet piece of theatre when there were 2 women and 8 men. So, I kept changing stuff around to make sure everyone enjoyed the show.”
One of the biggest purposes of the show for Karthik was to get the men in the room to acknowledge the disparity that the women are subjected to today. “I was in a very difficult romantic relationship post my divorce and that really started with low self-esteem. This made me reflect on my journey as a man. I felt sad that the world doesn’t allow five different definitions of a man. So, I wanted to create a show where I could speak about wanting to be a different kind of man. And to also admit to the fact that we have an unfair advantage over women. A lot of the systems that we’ve created make women run slower than us. So much that a mediocre man could do so much better than a woman.”
And comedy was the right medium for this, he adds. “I’ve had some great women in my life, including my mother, my current partner and ex partner. They are so skilled but still haven’t done as well as many other men. If I shame them (the men) into it or righteously correct them, they might reject it. How do I give them feminism like it’s bhelpuri?” While Karthik speaks about several aspects of women’s rights in the show, he is also quick to point out the irony of a man sitting in front of a mic, explaining issues. “I called the show Aansplaining to point out the irony,” he smiles. “But the brief to myself was it should not sound like mansplaining at any point.”
