Vir Das, Kiku Sharda, Tanmay Bhato
With the growing demand for action against Vir Das for his new comedy monologue, the comedian joins the list of artists who have had controversies, threats and legal troubles for their content about India’s prevailing issues. Das, who recently performed at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC, sparked controversy with his six-minute satirical video “I come from India”, in which he spoke about the country’s double dark sides. talked to. The comedian, who is currently in the US, touched upon topical issues such as the fight against COVID-19, incidents of rape, farmers’ protests, crackdown on comedians and petrol prices, to a section of social media as well as politicians. also invited.
While prominent voices have come out in support of the comedian, including TMC member Mahua Moitra as well as Congress leader Kapil Sibal and Shashi TharoorComplaints have been lodged against him with the police in Mumbai and Delhi.
But 42-year-old Das is not the only comedian who has angered a section of people in Indian society as Munawwar Farooqui, Kunal Kamra, Tanmay Bhat, Kiku Sharda among many others have found themselves in similar situations.
Farooqui was arrested on January 1 this year for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Hindu deities during a comedy show on New Year’s Day in Indore. Farooqui was lodged in Indore Central Jail after a BJP MLA’s son complained about his alleged remarks about Hindu gods and goddesses and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and was released from jail after a month.
Stand-up comedian and satirist Kamra faced legal trouble as a contempt of court action petition was filed against him for tweets against the court and judges. Attorney General KK Venugopal had agreed to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra for a series of tweets after he granted interim bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami last November.
In 2019, stand-up comic artist Advnya Joshua received rape threats and abuse online after an old video of her performance in 2019 surfaced in which she made a joke about the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Arabian Sea. The comedian later had to apologize for his comments.
Going back, comedian Kiku Sharda of “Comedy Nights With Kapil” had to spend a few days in judicial custody in 2016 for copying Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Sharda, 46, was booked under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (outraging religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief).
In the same year, comedian Tanmay Bhat, one of the co-founders of the now defunct comedy company All India Bakchod, got into trouble when he uploaded a Snapchat video that mimicked the cricket icon. Sachin Tendulkar And the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. This resulted in the registration of an FIR against him by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
AIB, known for its comedy sketches aired through online platforms, ran into trouble in 2015 over a “roast” program featuring some prominent Bollywood celebrities.
In 2017, the comedy collective got into more trouble when a defamation case was filed against the comedy group for allegedly posting an “obscene” picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter.
AIB had tweeted a look-alike PM Modi’s picture on his mobile phone at a railway station along with a real photo of the PM, with props installed using Snapchat’s dog filter, an app.
Earlier this year, Das recalled that several years ago, one of his stand-up shows was interrupted by the police over a joke about former President APJ Abdul Kalam. The comedian had said that 45 policemen came to his show when someone called him and later inquired about the joke on Kalam. After telling them the joke, Das said that the police left without incident.
During his appearance on an episode of “A Little Late With” he said, “The jokes I make have gotten me into trouble, but I often see people you’re joking about as well. Never a problem.” Lily Singh”.
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