Actor Manoj Bajpayee has weighed in on the debate surrounding humour, regional stereotypes and immigrants following a recent episode of Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent 2.
Speaking to IANS, Bajpayee said he does not necessarily find such exchanges offensive when they happen between people who are comfortable with each other and understand the context behind the jokes.
“If it is all in jest, I actually don't mind it. We should learn to laugh at ourselves and laugh together, laugh at each other and still not be hurt and offended,” the actor said.
However, Bajpayee stressed that humour should not come at the cost of respect.
He said people should be able to joke about themselves and each other while remaining mindful of the person they are speaking to and their background.
“We should have humour about ourselves but at the same time we should have respect, not only for ourselves but also for the person that you are sitting with and where that person comes from,” he told IANS.
According to Bajpayee, familiarity and comfort between people can also shape how a joke is received.
“If two people are very easy with each other, they always laugh at each other,” he said.
Bajpayee also recalled an incident from when he was 18 and had recently moved to Delhi.
He said he once tried to board a city bus through the front door because he was unfamiliar with the local practice of boarding from the rear.
The bus driver reportedly shouted at him, “Aye Bihari board from the back gate.”
Looking back, Bajpayee said he did not take the remark personally because he was from Bihar and, at the time, genuinely did not know the city's bus etiquette.
His recollection comes amid a wider conversation about where the line between humour and offence should be drawn, particularly when jokes involve regional identity, language or cultural differences.
For Bajpayee, the answer appears to lie in balancing the ability to laugh with an awareness of respect and context.
