Her social media handles are a laugh riot and deal with everything plaguing women in the 21st century. If you fell off your chair laughing at the viral video of Shit People Say (Sarojini Nagar edition), you will remember the girl who brought it all together, Mallika Dua aka ‘Makeup Didi’
At Jaipur literature Festival, Dua charmed the audience as she spoke about how people have started learning to laugh at themselves and how a comedian should maintain the boundaries before cracking a joke.
Your parents are an integral part of your videos. Why did you decide to involve themIJ Was it a conscious decision to capitalise on in-house talentIJ
No, not at all, it’s just that they are very spontaneous at home as well. I used to make dubsamsh videos by myself and I know that my father is very funny — I get my sense of humour from him. It’s not planned, rather my parents are quite sporty and enthusiastic about what I do. So, a majority of the videos or dubsmashes featuring my folks are decided and executed within 10 minutes or so.
From a copywriter and to now becoming an internet sensation, how did the transition happenIJ What’s your reaction to this popularityIJ
Actually all of it happened last year in January only. Though I was doing things even before that but after the Sarojini video went well with people, all of this recognition happened. I feel glad, overwhelmed and I feel that I am at the right place at the right time. People enjoy what I say and more importantly laugh.
Does being a copywriter help you while developing charactersIJ
Of course. In copywriting, you have to write in a strict amount of words, 30 seconds mai aapko puri kahanni batani hai (You have to tell the entire story in 30 seconds). So you have to be prepared to write different things and make them entertaining in the shortest time possible. I am not scared of the feedback because, in copywriting, you have to present your idea, pitch it in front of everyone. You can forget about the embarrassment.
So when did you find your groove in comedy exactlyIJ Was it during your stint as a copywriterIJ
I found it long before actually. I used to do a lot of comedy plays during my summer breaks in college. So those plays were like these videos only except they were 2-3 hours long. (laughs) My play’s directors would always give me the ‘maddest’ character with a liberty to change or write my own lines for the role. That I guess was the turning point, it all started then and later, copywriting happened. Though as a copywriter I learned how to put things in format and give structure to a script.
Do you think that a line should not be crossed when one is making jokesIJ
Rather than having a external censorship, I believe in internal censorship. See a joke has no limit but on which platform you are sharing that piece of humour is something on which there should be a cap. It is ok to have a good laugh about a joke while sitting in the drawing room but if it is sensitive and shared to a larger audience, it acquires a different meaning. And then intention is also something. All said, I think self check is important.