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Actor Prakash Raj has defended stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra after the latter was summoned by Mumbai Police for allegedly referring to Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as a “gaddar” (traitor) during a comedy gig in Mumbai last month. Prakash said he’s proud of Kunal for not having bowed down despite the pressure and for having used his humour for a larger purpose.
“I always keep saying when history is written in the future, it will never forgive those who were silent. Art for art’s sake is what I don’t believe in. It’s art, poetry, films, painters, and people like Kunal Kamra who have documented the resilience. What he said is true, he used a form of humour. So, why do you get hurt with that? Just because the majority gets hurt, there’s gundaism and goons arm-twisting him instead of having a dialogue. What Kunal Kamra is doing is starting a discussion, a dialogue. If you don’t know how to take humour… it’s not just humour, it’s beyond humour, it’s a very Chaplinistic humour. What (Charlie) Chaplin did in The Great Dictator (1940) as Hitler, that’s what Kunal has done. I’m very proud that despite the situation and threats, he’s stood up and he’s voicing the way he has to voice,” said Prakash in an interview with Jist.
In the same interview, when he was asked if it’s fair to compare the government bodies to convicted criminals, as Kunal did in his stand-up comedy show, Prakash argued, “It’s not comparison. He’s talking about the facts. If, for no reason, Stan Swamy is not given a straw, and Asaram is released on bail. If Umar Khalid is in jail, if the fellows who vandalise are given bail the next day, he’s (Kunal) instigating a discussion on certain things. It’s the way how you take it. You sit back and see it’s not individuals, he’s talking about what’s happening… Read between the lines. Hasn’t he started a discussion? Hasn’t he expressed his resilience? I look at it that way. This is the problem no, when somebody speaks, we want to put it into brackets and then hold him. That’s not how it is.”
Kunal Kamra’s video, Naya Bharat, was released on his YouTube channel last week, led to massive political controversy. Shiv Sainiks destroyed the venue where Kunal shot the comedy show. The stand-up comic faces three FIRs in Mumbai and is currently in Tamil Nadu. Kunal, known for his anti-establishment views, has refused to apologise for his over 40-minute video that has garnered over 11 million views on YouTube.
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