Photo: instagram
She's had quite an impressive career.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Feb 01, 2019
Comedians of the World on Netflix features stand-up routines from 47 comics, from all different parts of the globe. The best part about this series? Viewers can gain insight into what life is like in certain areas of the world that they are unfamiliar with. What can we learn from these comedians and their everyday lives? The series also features comedians from non-English-speaking areas, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands, which Netflix luckily provides subtitles for.
But you won’t need subtitles for the comedy of Aditi Mittal, an Indian comic. Though she already has a special on Netflix from her 2013 routine, the one featured this time around is a bit different, as she discusses misogyny and feminism. She’s known for talking about all different kinds of things, from feminine hygiene issues to how sex is wrongly portrayed in India and even thongs. But just who is Aditi Mittal? Here are five details to know about the comedian.
1. She’s one of the first women to do stand-up in India.
And since then, she’s been rated as one of the top 10 stand-up comedians in the country! She was also named as one of the top 30 “witty, intelligent and incredibly funny” Indian women to follow on Twitter. As such, she’s one of the most recognizable comics in India.
2. She’s a writer.
She’s written articles and columns for multiple publications, including Grazia Men Magazine, DNA, Firstpost.com, and Financial Times.
3. And she’s had quite the stand-up career.
She began her comedy career after quitting her job in New York and moving to India. She trained herself and eventually began performing live. She was one of the first Indians to be featured in Local Heroes, an Indians-only stand-up show. But that was just the beginning of her career.
She began performing her solo show, Things They Wouldn’t Let Me Say, in 2013, which discussed things women usually refuse to talk about in public, like bras and periods. That same year, was invited to London for the 100 Women Conference. Mittal is currently a regular performer at Canvas Laugh Factory Comedy Store in Mumbai, but has also performed in festivals around the country and world.
4. She’s been in television and movies.
Mittal has been in the movie Man’s World, and appeared as herself in I Am Offended. She was also featured in Stand-Up Planet, an American documentary about a stand-up comic’s “quest to find some of the best humor from corners of the developing world.” She’s also been on Phenking News with Cyrus Broacha, and appeared in the panel for the All India Bakchod Knockout.
5. She was accused of sexual harassment.
In late 2018, fellow comedian Kaneez Surekha accused Mittal of sexual harassing her when hosting a comedy show two years prior. Surehka alleged that Mittal forcibly kissed her without her consent, and then attempted to gaslight her.
According to her account:
“I need to tell my story as it happened to me. Two years ago, at a comedy show I was hosting at Andheri Base, in the presence of an audience of 100 and many comedians, Aditi Mittal walked up on stage and forcefully kissed me on my mouth out of the blue and put her tongue in my mouth, while I was still on stage and without my consent.
It left me humiliated, shocked and completely stripped of choice. Every person is entitled to choice and boundaries and she violated mine. While I mustered the courage to reach out to her a year ago, she first apologized but soon turned hostile towards me, leaving me confused and hurt.
Seeing her name all over Twitter as a champion of the cause has been triggering me immensely. Out of my belief that the opportunity to reform is the only way forward, yesterday, once again, I spoke to her through a mutual friend and requested her to come out with a public apology and save me the pain of having to reveal my identity.”
Mittal initially denied the allegations and refused to acknowledge the incident, but later issued a public apology. She said that she gave Surekha a peck on the lips as “part of the act,” and denied that her intent was sexual in nature. “For this I am unconditionally sorry,” Mittal said, to which Surekha accepted the apology.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.