Comedian and writer Varun Grover recently took a dig at the Mumbai Police after they summoned members of the audience who attended Kunal Kamra’s show, following an uproar over his jokes about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Varun took to social media to share some friendly advice, and his fans couldn’t agree more. (Also Read: Vidyut Jammwal questions silence over KRK ‘spewing venom against country, women’ as he backs Kunal Kamra)
Varun Grover’s dig at Mumbai Police
On Tuesday, Varun posted a video message on his Instagram account regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding Kunal Kamra’s show.
He said, “So abhi mujhe pata chala hai ki police jo hai wo Kunal Kamra ki jo audience hai usko bula rahi hai poochne ke liye ki usne show mein kya bola tha. I think ek comedian ki isse badi insult nahi ho sakti hai ki aap uske joke kisi aur se suno. Kharab ho jate hain. Aapko funny nahi lagenge. Toh agar aapko sach mein sunne hain toh Kunal Kamra ke show mein jao, dekho vo kya bolta hai. Par uske liye aapko show allow karna padega (So, I just found out that the police are calling Kunal Kamra’s audience to ask what he said in his show. I don’t think there’s a bigger insult to a comedian than having someone else repeat their jokes. They lose their essence and won’t sound funny. So, if you really want to hear them, go to Kunal Kamra’s show and see what he says. But for that, you’ll have to allow the show to happen).”
He concluded, “I think that will be the best way. Aapko samajh bhi aayega ki voh kya bol raha hai aur funny bhi hoga. Toh, I think audience ko mat bulao, barbaad kardenge voh log jokes ko (I think that will be the best way. You’ll understand what he is saying, and it will also be funny. So, I think don’t call the audience, they’ll ruin the jokes).” Along with the video, the writer and stand-up comedian captioned his post: “Let jokes live.”
Fans couldn’t stop laughing at Varun’s take on the ongoing controversy. One commented, “These people don’t even know how to get offended the right way.” Another wrote, “Rightly said, only Kamra can do his work perfectly.” Another comment read, “Legend! (laughing emojis) What an embarrassing display by the Indian police force, though.” Someone else joked, “Call the YouTube viewers as well.”
Why Kunal Kamra is facing backlash
In his new comic video, Naya Bharat, Kunal used a parody version of a song from the 1997 film Dil To Pagal Hai to make jokes about Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This sparked a backlash, with Shiv Sena workers vandalising the venue, Habitat Studio, where the video was recorded.
The comedian has been charged under the following sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023-Section 353(1)(b) – for ‘publishing or circulating false statements or rumours’, Section 352 – for ‘provoking a breach of peace’ and Section 356(2) – for ‘defamation, specifically outlining that whoever, by words or other means, makes or publishes an imputation intending to cause harm’.