Filmmaker-comedian Varun Grover on Wednesday alluded to the controversy surrounding Kunal Kamra’s Mumbai show in a YouTube post, adding a cheeky disclaimer to a video of one of his stand-up gigs from February.
“These are jokes. Venue ki isme koi galti nahi hain. Mera bhi nahin hai. Humare time ki hai. If offended, break a clock (There is no mistake of the venue. I am also not the one to be blamed. The time is to be blamed),” the disclaimer read.
The disclaimer alludes to the political uproar following Kamra’s parody song mocking Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde during a show at Mumbai’s Habitat Studio last month.
According to media reports, Shiv Sena members vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai's Khar area after the show. Following a complaint from Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel, Khar police registered an FIR against Kamra for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Shinde.
In the 10-minute-29-second-long video Grover shared on YouTube, he commented on the growing risks comedians face today. The video was shot at one of his gigs in Gurugram during the Nothing Makes Sense tour.
“Comedians don’t live safe lives. Anyone can be picked up anytime. Munawar Faruqui had to go to jail for a joke and stayed there for three months,” he said, referring to Faruqui’s arrest in 2021 after a stand-up show at Munro Cafe in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Faruqui’s show was interrupted by Eklavya Singh Gaur, son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur, who accused the comedian of cracking malicious jokes about Hindu deities and defaming the minister of home affairs, Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, the political uproar over Kamra’s parody song continues to gain momentum. Kamra recently refused to apologise for his performance, asserting his right to free speech. He also condemned the vandalism, stating that a venue should not be held accountable for a performer’s views.
Further, reports of BookMyShow delisting the artist on their platform recently went viral on social media. In response, Kamra wrote an open letter, requesting the online ticketing platform to either not delist him or to hand over the contact information of audience members he has earned through his solo shows over the years.
