New Delhi: It’s been the week of Kunal Kamra. The comedian made an apocalyptic return to screens with the release of his special, performed at the Habitat Club in Mumbai. But it’s not just the content of the show—it’s the almost otherworldly stir it has caused.
It all happened in rather quick succession. After the show was released on YouTube, months after it was recorded, of course, Shiv Sena workers ransacked the venue—they reportedly entered demanding Kamra’s whereabouts. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished a shed outside. The comedian has been charged under Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) [Public mischief] and 356(2) [Defamation] of the Bharitya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). T-Series has issued a copyright notice to Kamra over the video.
It’s a political blitz in Maharashtra. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde responded with what looked like feigned apathy. “Action causes reaction,” he said, responding to the vandalism. CM Devendra Fadnavis called it “low-level comedy”. Meanwhile, politicians in the Opposition have come out in support of Kamra—including Shiv Sena UBT’s Uddhav Thackeray and Bollywood actor and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan.
Kunal Kamra, with his 45-minute special, Naya Bharat, has shaken some of India’s politicians, particularly their foot soldiers, who resorted to violence. The country has long debated the tolerance question and its limits. The reaction to Kamra’s show is proof that India needs to do it more often. And that is why Kunal Kamra is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of The Week.
Images of ‘New India’
Kamra is scathing in Naya Bharat. No one is spared. There are digs at the Right wing’s weaponising and convenient whitewashing of history, the Ambanis, men’s rights activists, pollution, and the politically-mandated victimhood among Hindus. It’s a comedian’s version of a flipbook, filled with the fleeting images that constitute ‘New India’.
Using a Bollywood song as backdrop, Kamra talks about the Maharashtra elections, describes a politician who looks eerily like Shinde, and calls him a traitor.
About 24 hours after the video was uploaded on YouTube and had garnered lakhs of views, the firestorm began. And Kamra doubled down.
Reacting to the ransacking of the Habitat Club, the comedian shared visuals of the incident paired with a song from the special—Hum Honge Kangaal (impoverished), sung to the tune of Hum Honge Kamiyab. He also shared a rather unequivocal statement, where no words were minced.
“Our right to the freedom of speech and expression is used not only to fawn over the powerful and rich even though today’s media would have us believe otherwise. Your inability to take a joke at the expense of a powerful public figure does not change the nature of my right. As far as I know, it is not against the law to poke fun at our leaders and the circus that is our political system,” he wrote on X.
He also took a shot at the mob violence, reiterating the ludicrous nature of the attack—saying that the club is a mere venue, a vehicle. It has nothing to do with the content of his work.
“Perhaps for my next venue, I will opt for Elphinstone bridge, or any other structure in Mumbai that is in need of speedy demolition,” ends his statement.
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‘Kamra synonymous with free speech’
In circles dominated by liberals and the Opposition, there is a volley of support for Kamra. The comments on the YouTube video are filled with people donating money, with messages varying from awe-inspired to urgent. He is being praised for refusing to succumb to the coercive measures being meted out by the government, and the stream of threats being doled out online and otherwise. He has refused to issue a public apology.
A screengrab from the video, featuring Kamra holding up the Constitution, is splattered across the internet. He has been anointed as one of our final vestiges of free speech and expression. Yet, the debate unfolding online appears to be more about individual action—Kamra’s ability to take a stand—as opposed to any kind of collective or systemic response. His supporters and detractors, which exist on different ends of the political spectrum, have one thing in common. They cannot see beyond the comedian.
Meanwhile, Kamra has refused to speak to the media.
“The mainstream media at this point is nothing but a miscommunication arm of the ruling party. They are vultures who report on issues that dont matter to the people of this country. If they all shut shop from tomorrow till eternity they will be doing favour to the country, its people & their own children,” he wrote on X.
The comedian has managed to secure interim anticipatory bail from the Madras High Court. He isn’t a novice, and this isn’t his first run-in with the establishment.
In 2020, he got into trouble for heckling Arnab Goswami on a flight, asking him whether he was “a coward or a nationalist”. This, too, prompted uproar—also from the circles that have come out in his defence now. He was then banned from most major airlines—including Indigo, Air India, and Spice Jet.
Two years later, his Gurugram show was cancelled after threats from the VHP and Bajrang Dal. Kamra’s responses appear to be consistent. He addressed an open letter to the groups, asking why he’s being accused of disrespecting Hindu culture. The comedian also “challenged” them to censure the legacy of Nathuram Godse.
Of late, he has been quiet. The political comedy landscape also appears to have dimmed, with Kamra’s return coming off as almost epochal.
He ended Naya Bharat on a note unusual for a comedian: “Life begins when fear ends.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)