Tanmay Bhat weighs in on the Kunal Kamra controversy: Interesting week for comedy

Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra is currently a hot topic as he recently found himself in trouble after allegedly making comments about Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde. The issue arose when Kamra performed a parody song, allegedly calling Shinde a "traitor" because of his 2022 rebellion against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. During one of his comedy shows, Kamra sang the parody using the Bollywood song 'Bholi Si Surat,' saying, "Meri nazar se tum dekho to gaddar nazar wo aaye. Haaye!"

This clip quickly spread on social media and angered Eknath Shinde supporters, who issued threats of legal action. Some supporters even vandalized the venue where the show was recorded. A police case was also filed against Kamra.
Kamra stands his ground
Despite the controversy, Kamra made it clear that he would not apologize. He told the police that he did not regret his remarks and would only say sorry if the courts ordered him to do so. However, he assured that he would follow the legal process.

Tanmay Bhat’s reaction
Following the backlash against Kamra, fellow comedian Tanmay Bhat addressed the issue in a video on his YouTube channel. He was joined by comedians Rohan Joshi, Aditya Kulshresth, and Kaustubh Agarwal. Tanmay started by saying, “Interesting week for comedy” and shared that he received messages and calls checking on his well-being after Kunal Kamra faced backlash. “Any comedian gets into trouble, I get a message, ‘Tanmay, are you okay?’” he remarked, highlighting how people associate him with such controversies.

During the discussion, Aditya Kulshresth jokingly expressed his surprise that Bhat hadn’t landed in trouble himself, especially after appearing on Samay Raina’s 'India’s Got Latent.'
Kangana Ranaut says abusing people in the name of comedy is unacceptable
Kangana Ranaut weighed in on the Kunal Kamra controversy, criticizing his style of comedy. Speaking to ANI, she voiced concerns about the state of public discourse, stating, “We should think about where society is heading when someone does this only for two minutes of fame. Abusing people and our culture in the name of comedy is unacceptable.” Ranaut also drew parallels between Kamra’s legal troubles and her own past experiences, particularly the demolition of her bungalow. She described the act as unlawful and suggested that she, too, had faced unjust treatment in the past.