Comedian Vir Das encounters two Indias after Kennedy Centre monologue video

Stand-up comedian Vir Das once again finds himself in the middle of a controversy over his latest video in which he goes to describe two Indias that he is a part of.

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Nov 17, 2021, 8:21 AM IST

Stand-up comedian Vir Das once again finds himself in the middle of a controversy over his latest video in which he goes to describe two Indias that he is a part of. Trouble is, this time those who claim to champion free speech too seem to be upset with his six-minute 53-second monologue recorded at the John F Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts in Washington, DC. During his monologue, Das talks about two Indias that co-exist and cited instances of gangrapes, crackdowns against comedians, pollution and even India-Pakistan cricket encounters.

Multiple complaints have been lodged against the comedian. One such complaint was filed by a Delhi-based lawyer Vivekanand Gupta for "utterances" against the country on foreign land. He goes on to claim in his complaint that the words used by the comedian are totally unacceptable, mischievous and hurt the sentiments of nationalists. Terming Vir Das a blot on the nation, the complainant claimed that the assertions of Vir Das were ridiculous and aimed at creating a negative image of the country. Other complainants had similar issues with the video.

Das, however, has a different perspective about his video's intention. In a statement issued after he started getting criticised for the video, the comedian said that he takes pride in his country and carries that pride across the world. Urging people not to be fooled by edited snippets, he says that the video appeals to Indians to never stop focusing on what makes their country great. Das goes on to say that the video ends in a "gigantic patriotic" round of applause for a country that they love, believe and are proud of.

Meanwhile, on social media, the jury is divided. One segment of people, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, hailed Das for speaking for millions in the six-minute take on the two Indias he hails from and stands up for. But there were others, including Tharoor's party colleague Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who chastised the comedian for generalising the evils of a few individuals and vilifying the nation as a whole in front of the world.

But one line really seemed to have captured the imagination of many and struck a chord -- "There is a gigantic joke, it's just not funny."

Well, here is the full video in case you want to see it.