Mumbai: Kunal Kamra is facing backlash over his comments on Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. The issue received major publicity and heated up the political temp in the state. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has demanded an apology from Kamra for insulting Shinde and challenged him to take back his statements. In the midst of it all, Kamra issued a social media defence for himself in an Instagram post, calling his critics out.
In the post, Kamra stressed the importance of freedom of expression and not praising the rich and powerful. However, free speech rights persist—even in the face of objections from others, he emphasised. He also noted that making fun of politicians or their political system is not a crime.
In his post, Kamra also went on to talk about people who leaked his phone number or were harassing him with calls. They all heard that he sends all unknown calls to voicemail, which means they’ll hear a song they don’t want to. Refusing to budge from his position, he said, “I will not apologise for my comments because they are similar to what Ajit Pawar said about Eknath Shinde.
In response, Kamra, refusing to get bullied on his own turf, said no— he would not bend down or sit quietly and wait for the storm to blow over. He continued that no space — not even entertainment — owns the words of the comedian. The venue, nor any political entity, should tell him what to say.
It makes as much sense to attack the venue of a performer for their activism as it does to physically overturn a truck with tomatoes just because someone is dissatisfied with the butter chicken they were served, Kamra pointed out. He did say he would be “more than happy to assist local law enforcement at any time” and “pay attention to any courts in which actions are brought against me.”
The comedian then asked whether this would mean that people who might think that being offended by a joke is a justification for violence or destruction are going to be held accountable under the law. He also mentioned that for his future shows, he will opt for new places such as Mumbai’s Elphinstone Bridge, which he jokingly said should be broken down soon.