The vibrant stand-up comedy scene of the city seems to be under siege as many stand-up comics confess to self-censorship setting in among them, after shows by Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra were cancelled recently.
When shows of the two well-known artists were cancelled in November-December 2021, it led to murmurs of "Brand Bengaluru" taking a hit. Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao took a dig at Bengaluru and invited them to Hyderabad and recently, Mr. Faruqui performed there, though amid protests.
City-based stand up comic Kjeld Shresth said self-censorship had indeed slowly crept in and nobody wants to crack any “risky jokes”. “I am personally thinking twice about every joke I write,” he said. Another stand-up comic, who did not want to be named, said that any form of self-censorship will eventually make any art insipid, especially comedy. “But I can’t afford to become the target of the mob and the ruling regime,” he lamented. He also said he did not understand why the police were not duty bound to provide security to the show and not prejudge the show based on a petition by a fringe group and ban the show.
On multiple occasions, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, members of which have been arrested for the murders of Gauri Lankesh and M.M. Kalburgi, have petitioned the police and got the shows cancelled.
Former State police chief S.T. Ramesh said that in an ideal condition, the police should prima facie examine the matter, and if there is no violation of any law, provide security for the show and allow the protesters at a different venue. “However, we do not function in an ideal world. We have a regime that is keen on the executive towing not just of their wishes but an ideological line. Most officers take a ‘pragmatic view’ and side with the ruling regime,” he observed.
Mr. Shresth said he felt let down by the audience and had now started cracking jokes on the audience themselves in his shows. “One or two may take an objection to a joke. But the rest of the audience who have enjoyed that joke are not standing up for that joke or the comic. I increasingly feel neither the audience nor the stand-up comic scene cares about a few shows being cancelled. The show seems to go on with carefully chosen jokes,” he said.
