To do the right thing even when no one’s watching is integrity. But to do the right thing when everyone’s watching, and regardless of consequences, is courage. For comedian Kunal Kamra, comedy has become almost an act of courage. The 36-year-old comedian, known for his anti-establishment humour and speaking out for free speech, has often courted controversies and yet remained unfazed. His latest gig, ‘Naya Bharat’ performed at Mumbai’s Habitat Studio, was no exception. The comedian’s jibe at Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde triggered a massive backlash — the notable venue was vandalised by Shiv Sena loyalists, Mumbai police has summoned the comedian and a series of scathing attacks, trolling and life threats have been issued to the comedian. The recent fiasco is a litmus test for political comedy’s future in India. Delhi comedians weigh in on its prospects, and if India today is ready to take a joke.
Neeti Palta, comedian and YouTuber
Jokes, by their very nature, poke fun at something or someone. Comedy is subjective—you may like a joke, or you may not. But as long as it doesn’t break any law, art should be free. Art reflects life, and a lot of my comedy comes from personal experiences and observations. There’s always an element of truth in a joke. So if I joke about how society treats women, shouldn’t people be more offended by the reality behind it rather than the joke itself? I’ve found myself self-censoring, and choosing topics that are deemed ‘safe.’ And the fact that comedians now have lawyers reviewing their jokes speaks volumes.
Ishan Arora, stand-up comedian
Comedy is about having your own voice — what you truly feel about, and what affects you. It is about being cognizant about what’s happening around you. That’s what Kamra’s piece was about.Till the time, the same people are in power, political comedy is a distant dream, but not impossible. Kamra did it, and that inspires people like us. I started with political comedy, but there is always this fear in mind that people may get offended. Goons may hit you during your set and then walk away with it as they enjoy political patronage. Further, social media makes comedians more prone to death threats. It is mostly the ordinary people who take offence first as they want to feel powerful. And the easiest way to feel powerful is to support those in power. But the artist should not be seen as content by the public— if you disagree with my comedy, ignore me, shun me, or even take a non-violent legal action. But vandalism, threats, and hooliganism are not acceptable.
Sanjay Rajoura, comic, writer, columnist
Freedom of speech is not something that can be served on your plate. You have to fight for it. It is a collective fight that many are unwilling to take up. They are instead trying to get mileage out of the incident. Kunal Kamra took the risk, and he did nothing wrong. It is the job of comedians to ask questions to the people in power. He did that. However, not many will follow him as they claim to be apolitical and are not affected by the burning issues. It is often said that the audience is not prepared, however, this audience has still not been sufficiently tested, I feel. Hence, it is unfortunate to blame the shrinking space. A satirist spreads their wings the best when the space is shrinking.
Yash Bhatia, comedian and copywriter
Currently, the scenario for political comedy in India is bleak. Nobody is ready to give corporate shows, brand deals or other opportunities to an artist who does political comedy. Public shows are all you are left with. If such violent actions take place, then the audience will be worried if they can go back home alive or not. This will severely impact the career of such comedians. In the last few years, comedians like Kamra have been hounded in a democratic country like India for their jokes. In another democracy like the US, the most powerful world leader, Donald Trump, is ready to be roasted on television. Then why can’t Indians take jokes? It is our job to make people laugh, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do that with growing intolerance.
Radhe Krishna Ram, member of Dalit comedy collective Blue Material
Comedians should be given a safe environment during shows. There should be security in comedy clubs. For instance, it is very tough to perform in comedy clubs in Gurugram and Noida for this reason. Last year in Noida, comic Priyansh Kaushik made a slight joke about cows, and was ambushed by vigilantes. He was pressed to apologise. When I was performing in Gurugram in January 2024, I cracked a joke about caste, as I come from the Dalit community. Later, a member from the audience began to jeer. He had a problem with how I could joke so fearlessly, coming from the Dalit community. It was for a 1 am show, and I was scared to go home. It’s tough to do such jokes and survive.
Parvinder Singh, actor and stand-up artist
For me, political comedy is easy when I am targeting one certain party or politician who is immensely popular. But it’s way too difficult when I draft an intelligent joke satirically targeting a specific flaw in our system. And also external choices play an important role, I don’t want to be targeted for a joke by people who are puppets of someone corrupt. It is my prerogative to do comedy, but on the other hand, I understand that at certain times my comments or spoken words could be hurtful to someone. So I am open to retracting certain comments.