Actor Jaaved Jaaferi defended stand-up comedian Pranit More, saying comedians have become “soft targets” and that people are becoming increasingly intolerant of comedy. In an interview with India Today, Jaaferi said audiences should be free to decide what they want to watch instead of calling for bans.
“He’s an individual. He’s a comedian. People can choose to buy a ticket to his show or not,” he said. “But what happens is that comedians and actors become soft targets. While there are so many larger issues around us, people sweep those under the carpet and focus on an easy target simply because he’s a comedian,” he added.
More faced sharp criticism over a viral clip from one of his live comedy shows. In it, an audience member said that spending Rs 370 on biryani during a date entitled him to physical intimacy. More laughed, added to the exchange and later shared the video online, drawing criticism over the way it treated consent.
The National Commission for Women summoned More as well as the audience member, Himanshu Jangra. More apologised later, saying he should have challenged the remarks instead of laughing along.
Jaaferi said a small group of people often ends up deciding what others should find offensive. “I think people have become very intolerant. The problem is that a minority decides what is offensive, while the majority may not even have an issue with it,” he said.
He also argued that viewers and parents should take responsibility for what they choose to watch.
“If something isn’t meant for children, then parents shouldn’t take them there. You can’t keep banning everything. If you don’t like someone’s comedy, don’t watch it.”
Jaaferi said comedy has always pushed against authority and social norms, and warned that treating every joke as a controversy would narrow the space for artistic expression.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)