A standup comedian in India is at the centre of a controversy involving a far-right Hindu politician that has once again highlighted the shrinking space for freedom of expression under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule.
On Monday, police called Kunal Kamra for questioning in a case registered against him in connection with a performance he gave a few days back at The Habitat Studio, a comedy club in Mumbai.
Kamra uploaded his performance, ‘Naya Bharat: A Comedy Special,’ on YouTube on Sunday. Soon after, it riled up the supporters of the Hindu far-right party Shiv Sena’s leader, Eknath Shinde.
The 45-minute video included jokes about the Ambani wedding, the Modi government, and a parody song that apparently referred to Shinde, who is also Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, without actually naming him.
The clip of Kamra’s performance racked up 4.3 million views on X and went viral on other social media platforms. Kamra mocked Maharashtra’s shifting political alliances, using a parody of the popular Bollywood song Bholi Si Surat from the blockbuster Dil To Pagal Hai that featured superstar Shahrukh Khan.
The parody was peppered with references to a ghaddar, a Hindi word for a traitor. It is widely believed that Shinde backstabbed Shiv Sena’s supremo Uddhav Thackeray by sidelining him and taking over the party. Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray, Uddhav’s father.
Shinde’s party workers and supporters were livid.
On Monday, nearly three dozen supporters of the Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction ransacked the comedy club at the Unicontinental Hotel in Khar, where Kamra had recorded the show.
Kamra was later booked under various violations, including defamation. The Mumbai police registered the case against Kamra on a complaint lodged by Shiv Sena’s MLA Murji Patel.
Opposition leaders condemned the act of vandalism as an attack on free speech, while Shiv Sena leaders warned Kamra to apologise or face consequences. Kamra has refused to bow down to the pressure.
“I will not apologise,” he said in a statement on his X account. “I don’t fear this mob & I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down.”
Mumbai’s municipal authority added fuel to the fire when it sent workers to demolish parts of The Habitat Studio, where Kamra had performed. People say that was a politically motivated decision, underlining the grip of far-right groups on India’s political and civil institutions.
The studio, which had been a key venue for Mumbai’s stand-up comedy scene, had announced its closure following the attack, citing safety concerns and the repeated targeting of venues over performers’ content.
Laugh out loud
On Tuesday, Kamra shared another video on social media – this time taking an apparent dig at Shiv Sena workers who vandalised the studio where he had performed.
Sharing the video with the shifty eyes emoji on Instagram and X, Kamra can be seen singing a parody song – ‘Hum Honge Kangaal’ (We will go bankrupt) based off a national song called Hum Honge Kamyab (We will succeed) – where he inserted clips of Shiv Sena workers vandalising the studio where he performed. The video shows the party workers protesting and burning effigies of Kamra.
The Habitat has been the epicentre of stand-up comedy in Mumbai for the past nine years and is no stranger to controversies. It has found itself in a similar situation less than a month ago, when an episode of the popular comedy talent show, India’s Got Latent, which was shot there, ran into trouble for comments made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia.
The venue was also vandalised in 2020 over a 2019 stand-up act by comedian Agrima Joshua.
Responding to the recent attack, the club said: “We are shocked, worried and extremely broken by the recent acts of vandalism targeting us. Artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices. We have never been involved in the content performed by any artist, but the recent events have made us rethink about how we get blamed and targeted every time, almost like we are a proxy for the performer.”
The comedian
In a statement on his social media accounts, Kamra said he is “willing to co-operate with the police and courts for any lawful action taken against me”.
He said: “Attacking a venue for a comedian’s words is as senseless as overturning a lorry carrying tomatoes because you didn’t like the butter chicken you were served.”
Kamra insisted that freedom of speech was not limited to praising the powerful. He maintained that making fun of public figures and the political system was not a crime.
“But will the law be fairly and equally deployed against those who have decided that vandalism is the appropriate response to being offended by a joke? And against the unelected members of the BMC, who have arrived today at Habitat, without prior notice, and tore the place down with hammers? Perhaps for my next venue, I will opt for Elphinstone bridge, or any other structure in Mumbai that’s in need of speedy demolition,” Kamra said in the statement.
“To those who are busy leaking my number or calling me incessantly: I am sure you’ve realised by now that all unknown calls go to my voicemail, where you will be subjected to the very song that you hate. To the media faithfully reporting this circus: Remember that press freedom in India ranks at 159.”
Kamra is known for his popular political-comedy podcast ‘Shut Up Ya Kunal’, where he has spoken to guests including journalist Ravish Kumar, MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Shehla Rashid, MLA Jignesh Mevani and now Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, among others.
This isn’t the first time Kamra has been in the news. The stand-up comedian joined the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and garnered praise for his opening remarks where he said, “I didn’t come much prepared to speak here. But the Modi government was even less prepared to introduce CAA.”
Known for his blunt anti-government commentary in his shows, Kamra teamed up with Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for a stand-up comedy limited series named ‘One Mic Stand’.
Back in 2020, Kamra was banned from flying for six months by IndiGo for heckling controversial TV news anchor Arnab Goswami, on a flight from Delhi to Lucknow.
