This one, strictly, is a tribute to the people of Tamil Nadu and Aravind SA makes this very clear in the beginning of his act ‘Madrasi Da’ on Amazon Prime. How? Well, just by acknowledging the North Indians in the audience first and then by telling them, that from then on, everything will be downhill for them!
The Chennai boy mocks the old school thoughts and belief in this one-hour stand-up special. Each and every pun lands right on spot and if you are actually from Tamil Nadu or have been there at any point of time, you will be able to relate to it.
The Pros
First, let’s talk about the pros. Well, where to start? Right from the beginning till the end, Aravind’s act is a laugh riot. Let me a give you a few examples of how he ripped through the idiosyncrasies of a Tamilian. At the very beginning of the act, he talks about his experience of going to America and how when he was at the one of the South Indian restaurants there, a man walks up to him, and asks him, if he is a Brahmin. When he replies to it in affirmative, he goes on to ask, which sect does he belong to even within that. These are things which we observe in Chennai, but nobody talks about it. But, Aravind does just that, and with a general dose of humour. Another such example is where he talks about a North Indian friend who spent a lot of money to go to F1 race here in India just for a few seconds of thrill and then he asks, “Will you see any self-respecting South Indian do that?”
There’s one on how sex education is taught there, but if I continue to list out every joke, it might be giving out too much!
But, the stand-up comedian saved the best bit for the last and ends it with a bang. He explains why the Lungi Dance and Chennai Express is not actually a tribute to Rajnikanth or the people of Tamil Nadu. He dissects each and every line of the first para of the song and proves just that. “Coconut mein Lassi Milake’ – Coconut is from Kerala and Lassi is from Punjab; so, where does Tamil Nadu come in the middle of it,” he asks. This closing act is one of the best I have seen in a long while.
The Cons
Now, to the negatives of Madrasi Da. The only one I could think of is the fact that it is too Tamil Nadu, especially Mylapore-centric; Mylapore is an area in Chennai. People from other parts of India might not get the jokes as much, though they are completely accurate and witty. They might have to google for key words while they are watching it.
Apart from this, ‘Madrasi Da’ is quite a tight performance and one might even fall of their chairs while watching this one, as did some members of the audience!
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