Opinion Vir Das show cancellation: Have you heard the one about the stand-up comic and hurt sentiments?
While fanatics protest comedy at the expense of their beliefs, the comics in the line of fire are selling out shows with audiences who want to find out what the hullabaloo is all about
Comedian Vir Das 
Sometimes, the jokes write themselves. On November 10, stand-up comic Vir Das found himself in a prickly spot as members of a right-wing group protested his latest live special opening in Bengaluru. The claims were that his comedy “hurts Hindu sentiments and presents India in a bad light”. The irony that maybe the protesting party’s veiled threats to Bengaluru’s law and order situation might be presenting India in a worse light is, of course, completely lost on the protesting party here. Still funnier is the group’s claim that Das’s brand of comedy is denigrating to women. What the group found demeaning and disrespectful was a throw away line in Das’s recent YouTube video, about how women in India are celebrated during the day but raped at night. Apparently, the actual act of rape itself is not denigrating, just the fact that Das chose to talk about it.
Of course, this isn’t unprecedented in India. Of late, stand-up comics have regularly been on the receiving end of threats, always being told what they can and cannot say. Over recent years, examples have been made of comics like Munawar Farooqui and Agrima Joshua, who ran into trouble because of their content. Farooqui spent more than a month behind bars for his “crime” whereas Joshua had to deal with your standard troll arsenal of death and rape threats, and an assortment of other violent overtures. The venue at which Joshua performed was also damaged, all in the name of defending India’s honour. While she took what is hopefully just an extended sabbatical from her comedy journey, Farooqui managed to turn trauma into commercial success. His post-jail videos went viral, he started booking out the largest venues across the country, and even won a reality show called Lock-Upp, hosted by Kangana Ranaut of all people. Yes, the same actor who was, not surprisingly, one of Farooqui’s biggest detractors during his incarceration. It just goes to show that offended sensibilities have nothing to do with TRPs and corporate sponsorship.
Going by Farooqui’s story, one might assume that controversy is a comic’s best friend, not jokes. If he has anyone to thank for his meteoric rise, it would have to be the people he offended. They were the ones who put him on the map and into public consciousness. Is this true for all comics, though? Kunal Kamra of “hamare jawan sarhad pe lad rahe hain” fame might not agree. Kamra has had to cancel multiple shows over the years because of threats and, unlike his counterparts, is yet to receive a proper special on a leading OTT platform. But yes, Kamra also did become a household name in liberal India, because of the unwanted attention his videos garnered. At the end of the day, he found his audience.
That’s the silver lining to this entire affair. Das can happily acknowledge that his show’s forced cancellation only validates his recent monologue on “Two Indias”. Immediately after Das announced the show’s cancellation, he put up a short video on his Instagram, where he asked the audience at his last show whether his act is anti-national, anti-Hindu, or anti-women. Unsurprisingly, his audience responded with a resounding “no”. While fundamentalist groups dig their heels in, fanatically protesting comedy at the expense of their beliefs, the stand-up comics in the line of fire are selling out shows with audiences who want to find out what the hullabaloo is all about. And more often than not, the audiences are surprisingly receptive.
As the old saying goes, you can’t please everyone. This is especially true with stand-up as an art form. Everyone’s sense of humour is different; what offends one person can be outright hilarious for another. As a comic, you have to find your audience, and to quote Das, trust them. If you are offended by what a comic is saying, the simplest thing to do would be to not consume that content. Don’t go for their show, don’t watch it, don’t like it, don’t share it. And for the love of all things democratic, don’t file FIRs. Stand-up comics in India are held to much higher standards than most of our elected leaders. The problem is that while their jokes become matters of national interest, the real issues that should be talked about… become just jokes.
The author is a writer and stand-up comic based in the Netherlands
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