Who is Kunal Kamra? A look at comedian's controversies over the years
Kunal Kamra controversy: Comedian Kunal Kamra made controversial remarks against Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde during one of his shows.
Comedian Kunal Kamra, who often gets embroiled in controversies due to the political nature of his stand-up gigs, has once again landed in trouble. This time, it's because of his ‘traitor’ remark on Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde.
Kamra's latest statement, made on his new comedy special, 'Naya Bharat', drew sharp criticism from Shiv Sena leaders as well as Maharashtra ministers, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Following the controversy, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena youth group, Yuva Sena, vandalised the Habitat comedy venue where the show was filmed.
Kunal Kamra controversy LIVE: Minister says comedian's call records, bank accounts to be scanned
The Habitat comedy club has also announced that they will be temporarily closing down after the vandalism incident.
While an FIR has already been registered against Kunal Kamra for his remarks, here is a look at Kunal Kamra's background and controversies over the years.
Who is Kunal Kamra?
Kunal Kamra is an Indian standup comedian and political satirist. His performances include jokes about the absurdities of life, politics, big business, economy and popular culture.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Kamra often finds himself in controversies due to his contentious remarks against BJP politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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In 2017, he started his eponymous show 'Shut Up Ya Kunal', which featured him engaging in an informal discussion with politicians and activists from both ends of the spectrum.
Kunal Kamra-Arnab Goswami confrontation:
One of his biggest and most viral controversies was comedian Kunal Kamra's mid-air confrontation with journalist Arnab Goswami. In January 2020, the comedian heckled Goswami questioning his journalistic practices.
The comedian, who later shared a video of this incident on social media, was then slapped with a six-month flight ban by IndiGo. Other airlines, including Air India, SpiceJet, and GoAir, banned him indefinitely.
2020 Child Rights Notice after morphed video of PM Modi’s event
Comedian Kamra faced backlash in May 2020 after he shared an edited video of a seven-year-old boy singing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Germany. The edited clip replaced the original song with “Mehengayi Daayan” from the movie “Peepli Live.”
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The child’s father accused Kamra of dragging his son into politics, leading the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to take cognisance and request the removal of the video. Kamra later deleted the post, stating that his intention was not to mock the child.
Kunal Kamra's 'brahmin-baniya' remark on Supreme Court
Another plea was filed against comedian Kunal Kamra in May 2020 for his remark that the Supreme Court was a "baniya-brahmin" affair. He made the remarks during his show "Be Like."
The petitioners sought contempt proceedings, arguing that his comments were derogatory toward the judiciary.
Middle finger to CJI row
In 2020, Kamra mocked the then Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde when he showed his middle finger to the top judge in a social media post on social media.
In a post on X (then Twitter), Kamra said, “One of these fingers is for CJI Bobde…ok let me not confuse you it’s the middle one,” along with a picture of two figures
Contempt proceedings were filed against Kamra by Attorney General KK Venugopal for obscene and derogatory comments against the CJI.
Salman Khan controversy
Recently, Kunal Kamra triggered another row when he joked about Bollywood superstar Salman Khan during one of his stand-up shows.
When the reports emerged that Khan was planning to file a defamation suit against Kamra, the comedian said he would not apologise for his jokes.
The joke was reportedly about Salman Khan's involvement in two major legal cases: the 1998 blackbuck poaching case and the 2002 hit-and-run case.
Kunal Kamra vs VHP
Kamra sparked another row in September 2022 after his show was cancelled in Gurugram due to threats from the VHP and Bajrang Dal.
Kamra, in an open letter to the VHP, challenged the organisation to denounce Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, to prove they were anti-terrorism and pro-Hindu.
He also demanded evidence of any instance where he had disrespected the Hindu religion, asserting that his satire targeted the government, not religious sentiments.
