With the growing calls for action against Vir Das for his new comedy monologue, 'I come from two Indias', the 42-year-old comedian is not the only comedian to have offended people
Vir joins the ever-expanding list of artistes who have landed in controversies, faced threats and legal troubles for their content.
1. Munawar Faruqui
Munawar Faruqui was arrested on January 1 this year for passing allegedly indecent remarks about Hindu deities during a comedy show in Indore on New Year's Day. Faruqui was lodged in Indore Central Jail following a complaint by a BJP MLA's son for making the alleged remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and it was only after a month that he was released from prison.
2. Kunal Kamra
Stand-up comedian and satirist Kamra faced legal trouble as pleas seeking contempt of court action were filed against him for tweets against the court and the judges. Attorney General K K Venugopal had last November consented to the initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra for a series of tweets following the apex court giving interim bail to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.
Also watch | Vir Das issues clarification after complaint filed against him for 'I Come From Two Indias' monologue
3. Tanmay Bhat
In 2019, comedian Tanmay Bhat, one of the co-founders of the now inactive comedy company All India Bakchod, landed in trouble when he uploaded a Snapchat video mimicking cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. It resulted in an FIR being registered against him by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). AIB, which was known for its comedy sketches broadcast through online platforms, had in 2015 landed in trouble over a "roast" programme featuring some prominent Bollywood celebrities.
4. Kiku Sharda
Comedian Kiku Sharda of "Comedy Nights with Kapil" fame had to spend a few days in judicial custody in 2016 for mimicking Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He was booked under section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code (outraging religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief).
Also watch | Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Vir Das' comedy special on Netflix bags Emmy nomination
5. Agrima Joshua
In 2019, stand-up comic artiste Agrima Joshua received rape threats and was abused online after an old video of her performance in 2019 surfaced in which she made a joke about the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian sea. The comedian had to later apologise for her comments.