Kunal Kamra joke row: Humour or insensitivity? A look at Indian comedians who landed in controversies
While the stand-up comedy scene in India has evolved in the past decade with more performance avenues and audience, so has the risk of landing in trouble due to jokes on politics, religion, culture, etc. Most recently, stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has found himself amid a controversy due to his alleged defamatory remarks on Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. This isn’t the first time Kamra has courted controversy with his provocative humour. Apart from Kamra, several other comedians have also been attacked or landed in trouble in recent years over their jokes and remarks. Here is a look at some of them. (File Pics)
Updated on : 24 March,2025 02:28 PM IST | Compiled by : Raaina Jain
Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina controversy
While Ranveer Allahbadia is not a comedian, his remarks on Samay Raina’s comedy show ‘India’s Got Latent’ sparked widespread outrage, and several police complaints in February 2025. The Youtuber apologised for his insensitive remarks on parents’ sex life, and all the episodes of the show were taken down.
Pranit More attacked over joke on Veer Pahariya
Stand-up comedian Pranit More was reportedly physically assaulted by a group of 11-12 men in Solapur in February 2025 for making a joke on Sky Force debutant actor Veer Pahariya. They claimed to be the actor’s fans. “They said ‘agli baar Veer Pahariya par joke marke dikhana’ and left the venue,” More had revealed.
Pahariya had denied any involvement in the assault.
Vir Das’ ‘Two Indias’ monologue
Vir Das was heavily criticised in 2021 for his monologue ‘Two Indias’, which he performed in USA. While many found his take to be relatable, others accused him of defaming the country on an international platform. Legal complaints were also filed against the comedian.
Munawar Faruqui’s alleged remarks on religion
In January 2021, comedian Munawar Faruqui was arrested in Indore for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his jokes. He was in jail for a month, before being granted interim bail in February 2021.
In August 2024, Faruqui landed in trouble again for a controversial joke on Konkani people. He later apologised for the same.
Tanmay Bhat controversies
Tanmay Bhat is one of the first few comedians to land in trouble over jokes and remarks. One of the incidents that caused controversy in May 2016 was a video he posted on Snapchat showing an imagined conversation between music legend Lata Mangeshkar and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Netizens found it to be derogatory and he faced severe backlash, especially in Maharashtra. Bhat was also involved in other controversies related to AIB.
