A biryani joke and the men who laughed

For those who missed the latest episode in our national circus of misogyny dressed up as banter, a clip from comedian Pranit More’s stand-up show recently went viral. During a crowd-work segment, an audience member, Himanshu Jangra, began talking about a date.

He had taken a woman out, paid Rs 370 for her biryani, and when she later wanted to go home, suggested that this was somehow unacceptable because he had spent money on her. He used the word vasooli — recovery, extraction, getting back what is owed — and here, it was being used for sex.
The comment was obscene. But the more uncomfortable thing was the ease with which it landed. The audience laughed, the host egged him on, and a line about sexual entitlement became comedy.

Before the outrage, before the apology, before Jangra’s eventual firing by his employer, the room rewarded him.