Mumbai: Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra released a video of his new show ‘Naya Bharat’. In his performance, Kamra, known for his sharp take on the state of affairs in the country and the government, performed several parody songs.
Soon after the video was released, Shiv Sena members vandalised the comedy club in Mumbai where the video was recorded, leading to the club being temporarily shut down. An FIR was also registered against Kamra.
In the show, taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kamra sang a song titled “Tanashah,” or a dictator. In the other, set to the tune of Dil to Pagal Hai, he targeted Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde.
He used the word “Gaddar,” a term commonly used by the opposition for Shinde since he split the original Shiv Sena in 2022 and joined hands with the BJP.
In both songs, Kamra didn’t name the leaders but provided enough hints for the public to understand who he was referring to.
Shiv Sainiks ransack comedy club, FIR against Kamra
As soon as the 40-minute-long show was cut into a short video clip and shared across social media platforms, it led to a furore. The Shiv Sainiks, true to their old-style instant justice, went straight to the venue, The Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, Mumbai, where the video was recorded, and ransacked the place.
While an FIR has been registered against over 35 Shiv Sainiks, no arrests have been made so far. Rahool N. Kanal, secretary of Yuva Sena, was among those who ransacked Habitat.
Kanal, speaking to the media, justified his act and said that what he and the other vandals did was only a “Shiv Sena-style justice.”
“We won’t spare anyone who insults our seniors and our leaders… we will enter the premises and destroy it,” he said.
Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Naresh Mhaske went so far as to threaten Kamra. Mhaske, in a recorded video message, said that Kamra won’t be able to live in Mumbai or anywhere else in the country. “You will be forced to leave India,” he said in the message, which is a clear threat to Kamra.
Such vandalism is not new in Maharashtra. However, Shinde is the deputy Chief minister of the state, and Mhaske is an elected Member of Parliament.
Even after the vandalism and the registration of an FIR, many Shiv Sena leaders have openly aired threats against Kamra.
In recent developments, the Mumbai police have filed an FIR against Kamra. Home Minister Yogesh Kadam claimed that the police are “actively working to trace Kamra” in connection with the incident. Kamra told The Wire that he won’t be issuing any statement.
Municipal corporation officials ‘seen arriving at The Habitat with hammers’
Mumbai’s municipal corporation on Monday (March 24) began removing “illegal sheds” allegedly constructed by The Habitat’s owner, the Hindustan Times cited assistant commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s H-East ward Vinayak Vispute as saying.
The newspaper reported that BMC personnel were “seen arriving with hammers”.
Vispute also said that officials were inspecting the studio’s plans for any ‘illegalities’ and that action would be taken accordingly, per HT.
Fadnavis slams Kamra, Aaditya Thackeray says comedian spoke the truth
In response to the ransacking, the Habitat Comedy Club has announced its temporary closure. The Habitat said it had decided to shut down “till we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy.”
In the message posted on their Instagram handle, The Habitat further added that, “We urge constructive conversations, not destruction, to address disagreements. We do not support hate or harm of any kind. Violence and destruction undermine the very spirit of art and dialogue,” the Habitat said in a post on their Instagram page.
Later on Monday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded an apology from Kamra for “insulting” deputy chief minister Shinde.
“Kamra should know that in 2024, people will be shown who are traitors and not traitors. Who is the real ideological heir of late Balasaheb Thackeray? So, low-level, insulting comedy should not be used against DCM Eknath Shinde at all. We are against it,” said Fadnavis, reported The New Indian Express.
Kamra found support from Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray as well as his son and party leader Aaditya Thackeray.
“I don’t think Kunal Karma said anything wrong. Calling a traitor a traitor is not a matter of attacking someone; a traitor is a traitor,” Uddhav Thackeray told mediapersons on Monday.” He added that “one who has traitorhood in their blood can never be a Shiv Sainik.”
Aaditya Thackeray said that the comedian had spoken only the truth.
“Mindhe’s coward gang breaks the comedy show stage where comedian @kunalkamra88 put out a song on eknath mindhe which was 100% true. Only an insecure coward would react to a song by someone. Btw law and order in the state? Another attempt to undermine the CM and Home Minister by eknath mindhe,” Aaditya Thackeray posted on X.
Stand-up comics speak against vandalism
Other stand-up comics too reacted to the incident and spoke about the danger of getting attacked for their performances.
“Can people at least apply basic common sense and stop calling it Kunal Kamra’s studio. It’s a performing arts venue. A venue that doesn’t have anything to do with Kamra. Thousand other artist perform there. Even the biggest Kamra hater has to realise this is akin to Kamra appearing in your society tomorrow and people coming in and breaking down your whole society cuz he was there once,” Stand-up comic Abhijit Ganguly posted on X.
Comedian Sahil Shah said in a post on Facebook that Indian comedians are stuck “in this weird in between place where if you attempt to speak truth to power or push the line you get attacked for being too brazen.”
“The meaning of a proper standup comedy in India is when you won’t be able to stand up properly post comedy,” podcaster Anurag Minus Verma posted on X.
Legal challenges faced by Kamra in the past
This is not the first time that Kamra is facing a legal challenge. In May 2020, Kamra had shared a morphed video of a seven-year-old boy singing for the prime minister during one of his visits to Germany. Kamra had replaced the song with ‘Mehengayi Daayan’ from a popular Hindi film Peepli Live.
The young boy’s father had accused Kamra of dragging his child into politics, and soon the National Child Rights Commission had issued a notice to the comedian. In another incident, Kamra had posted a picture with his raised middle finger and had claimed that it was for the then-Chief Justice of India S A Bobde.
He had posted this in response to the interim bail granted to the Republic News channel’s editor Arnab Goswami. In the past, Kamra had also confronted Goswami, questioning him over his journalistic ethics. This act led to Kamra being banned from flying on several airlines for over six months.
Among one of the significant contributions of Kamra is the petition he filed in the Bombay High Court questioning the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2023. Kamra had challenged the government’s decision to set up its own fact-checking unit that would give the government a free hand to label content, especially that which is critical of the government, as fake or misleading.
He said that such an amendment to the IT rules directly infringes upon freedom of expression. In September last year, the Bombay High Court, calling the amendment “unconstitutional,” struck it down.
(This is a developing story and will be updated.)
