No laughing matter! Stand-up comedians who were 'cancelled' for their jokes!

Stand up comedians seem to be the easiest victims of 'cancel culture' in India! Vir Das to Munawar Faruqui to Kunal Kamra, here are some comedians who landed in trouble for their jokes, some even went to jail.

Kunal Kamra

Comedian Kunal Kamra says, his upcoming shows in Bengaluru, scheduled for the next 20 days, have been cancelled due to threats, that the venue will be shut down if he performs. In an Instagram post, he added sarcastically that, the move is also part of the Covid protocol and new guidelines, and he is now seen a variant of the virus now. Earlier, Kunal faced the ire of courts, with pleas seeking contempt of court action against him for tweets against the apex court and its judges, after interim bail to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.

Munawar Faruqui

Munawar Faruqui, a Muslim comedian, who spent a month in jail earlier this year for a joke, has now hinted at quitting comedy after a dozen of his shows were cancelled in Mumbai and Bangalore following protests. In a heartbreaking post, he wrote, "Hate has won, an artist has lots". The Bengaluru police asked organisers to call Munawar's show off citing possible law and order problems.

Vir Das

In November, a monologue by comedian Vir Das in Washington DC triggered a storm of protest, prompting several complaints to the police, and backlash on social media. Vir Das said it was "about the duality of two very separate Indias" that he lived in, but his critics were angry with him for vilifying the country.

Also watch | Vir Das issues clarification after complaint filed against him for 'I Come From Two Indias' monologue

Tanmay Bhat

In 2019, comedian Tanmay Bhat, one of the co-founders of the now inactive comedy company AIB, landed in trouble when he uploaded a Snapchat video mimicking cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. It led to an FIR against him by the MNS. AIB, which was known for its comedy sketches on online platforms, in 2015 also landed in legal trouble over a "roast" featuring prominent Bollywood celebrities.

Kiku Sharda

Comedian Kiku Sharda of "Comedy Nights with Kapil" fame had to spend a few days in judicial custody in 2016 for mimicking Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He was booked under section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code (outraging religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief).

Agrima Joshua

In 2019, stand-up comic artiste Agrima Joshua received rape threats and was abused online after an old video of her performance in 2019 surfaced in which she made a joke about the statue of Shivaji in the Arabian sea. The comedian had to later apologise for her comments.