Why dealing with online hate as a comedian in India is no joke

Here’s how comedians in the country navigate the tricky waters of online hate, trolls and cancel culture at a time when censorship is at its peak

Appurv Gupta, popularly known as Gupta Ji, remembers when one of his first comedy videos on Instagram didn’t land with audiences online. “The video was about people buying iPhones without knowing their tech specificities, just because they could afford them. In my opinion, it was a pretty harmless video. Still, I received so much flak for it,” says Gupta, further elaborating, “While my material doesn’t gravitate towards politics or religion, I’ve realised people can get offended with just about anything.” Despite the rude awakening, he has made peace with the increasing probability of more people getting offended.

With the video getting 300 million views on social media, Gupta is acutely aware of the public gaze and scrutiny. Therefore, like most comedians today, he is mindful of the ramifications his comedic predispositions may have—cancelled shows, FIRs and online hate. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra was served a contempt-of-court notice in December 2020, while in January 2021, Munawar Faruqui was arrested in Madhya Pradesh while performing a set and though he was released on bail later, the comedian has since had to face several anticipatory cancellations. In August this year, his show in Bengaluru was also cancelled. Vir Das also faced similar censorship when his monologue, ‘I come from two Indias’, which he performed in the United States, drew criticism for allegedly “insulting” India. Last month, his show in Bengaluru got cancelled at the eleventh hour.

Just for a laugh?

Organically, comedian and writer Vaibhav Sethia’s jokes steer clear of “conventionally troublesome” territory. “It’s never the intention of a comedian to offend, and that’s also the part where skill comes into play. Sometimes you do a great job not being offensive, and people still get offended. If it’s crude and too out there, then it’s not that funny. There’s a thin line between being offensive and being funny. It’s subjective,” says the comedian, who hosts regular gigs across India, including the Canvas Laugh Club. 

In comedian Mallika Dua’s case, she viewed the internet as a platform for a healthy exchange of ideas and content. However, it soon acquired a character of its own. “Earlier, we could be our authentic, funny, often irreverent selves without receiving much flak. Now, it’s about presenting a curated, politically correct, virtue-signalling version of yourself because people are easily offended. Everyone wants to cancel each other,” says the artist.

Priyanka Khimani, a legal advisor to celebrities, including many comedians, has been busy navigating lawsuits of late. “When a legal advisor vets a joke, prevention is better than cure. We try to walk the thin line between gently cautioning artists about how, and why, some of their jokes could be problematic and flagging the degree of risk attached to their brand of comedy,” she says. Khimani, who also specialises in global IP and media rights, says sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code on defamation and section 295A IPC (deliberate and malicious enalacts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) are common statutes under which FIRs are filed against comedians nowadays.

Sethia also points out how comedians have had to pay the price for telling jokes that are “not unlawful”. In contrast, people who have unlawfully vandalised venues have never been penalised. “In most such cases, the organisers don’t pursue any legal action because it would just complicate matters for them,” says Khimani. 

Self-preservation and mental health

Dua says her approach to dealing with trolls and scathing attacks on social media stems from “self-preservation”. “Of course, for women, it’s tougher because what is acceptable for a man to say is still not acceptable in the case of women. Female comedians are easy targets of abuse, and I know well enough not to engage with such people,” she says, adding that she doesn’t read the comments on posts online anymore. “I’ve stopped engaging on Twitter. It’s sad, but I couldn’t deal with the toxicity there,” she adds. 

Sethia acknowledges he hasn’t faced much flak for his non-controversial content. “Receiving negative comments is part and parcel of what we do. Not everyone will like a joke, and that’s okay,” he adds. Gupta, too, has made peace with people not liking his jokes and refraining from buying tickets to his shows. “I can deal with negativity in doses. It doesn’t affect me much now, but there was a time when certain comments would elicit a reaction from me, especially if they were targeted at my family,” he says. Sethia now screenshots “outrageous” comments and posts them on his profile. “That way, at least people know they will be held accountable if they cross a boundary,” he says. 

However, Das’s approach to hate is evident in the video he posted on his Instagram after his Bengaluru show was cancelled. He says: “Trust the audience”. For Dua, it is important to try and focus on the positives. “The internet is adapting, and we must adapt with it. The algorithm tells us which song to dance and sing to; as artists and writers, that is not what we do.,” she says.

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