Opinion Express View on Urooj Ashfaq win at Fringe: Stand-up, take a bow

It is easy in many parts of the world today to hurt the sentiments of a vocal minority that claims to speak for the majority. Perhaps that is one reason that stand-up comedy, a relatively new art form, has been growing in popularity. There is a thrill in watching the best comedians, armed with nothing but a microphone and their wit, being offensive without offending, taking the audience to the edge of political correctness and making them laugh at the peak of their discomfort. Given India’s relatively nascent stand-up culture, Urooj Ashfaq being awarded the Best Newcomer for her show, Oh No!, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is an achievement.

The Fringe’s comedy awards are often called the “comedy Oscars” because many recipients have gone on to build spectacular careers. Yet, increasingly, the Fringe is seen as becoming far too mainstream. From its origins as a guerrilla alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival in 1947, it is today reportedly the world’s largest performing arts and comedy festival. It has sponsors and audiences, and the pressures that come with them, especially in the social media age when the outrage industry makes experimentation in content too “triggering”.

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In one of the jokes in Oh No! Ashfaq reportedly says, “in India, I am edgy, in Edinburgh not so much”. The themes and struggles she talks of may not be “edgy” in a comedy culture that is used to far more shock-and-awe. But then, it’s not like the Fringe lives up to its name all the time either any more — it’s as much a “brand” now as a festival of the arts. Ashfaq, for her part, is talented, with stage presence, a voice and a bunch of great jokes. That’s enough to deserve the award, lack of “edge” notwithstanding. In fact, with too much edge, the brand might cut itself.