Popular comedian Vir Das’ stand-up show in Hyderabad has been cancelled. The actor-comedian was scheduled to perform on November 20 at Shilpa Kala Vedika in Madhapur, as part of his India tour. But the show has been called off in the wake of protests by right-wing organisations, who have accused him of making ‘anti-India’ comments. The news was confirmed by a Shilpa Kala Vedika representative. The organisers did not specify the reasons for cancelling the show, the representative said.
Just earlier this week, Das’ event in Bengaluru was also cancelled at the last minute after threats of protests by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), a right-wing organisation.
A week ago, the organisers of the Hyderabad event had approached the Madhapur police seeking permission to conduct the event. However, the police did not accord the requisite permission. Speaking to TNM, Madhapur Police Inspector N Tirupathi said that they were yet to give permission for the event. He said that they are not aware of the event being cancelled.
Though the Bengaluru event was cancelled, the HJS had threatened that it would continue to protest until Das apologised for the ‘anti-India’ remarks he made during a show in the US last year. HJS national spokesperson Ramesh Shinde said that his organisation would keep protesting against Das wherever his shows are scheduled.
Das’ monologue from his US show titled ‘I come from two Indias’ created controversy after several right-wing groups alleged that the comedian had defamed the country on an international platform. “Das should apologise for his statement made against India in the US. If we don’t protest against his statement, then it would mean that we support what he said,” Shinde told news agency PTI. “If he apologises, then the issue is over,” Shinde added.
In the six-minute video, available on YouTube, Das talks about the duality of the country and mentions some of the most topical issues India is facing, from its battle against COVID-19, incidents of rapes, crackdown against comedians to the farmers’ protests.
Responding to the protests, Das shared a post-performance video clip on Twitter, where he is seen asking the audience if he targeted any religion, if he targeted any leader or government, if he defamed India during the show, to which the audience replies: No.
Sharing the video, he wrote, “I made this video after one of my shows, Just in Case. I have no interest in media spectacles or being used for headlines. I’m an artist. I shouldn’t be on the news. Many assumptions are made about my content. I trust my art and my audience to speak for me.”
I made this video after one of my shows, Just in Case. I have no interest in media spectacles or being used for headlines. I’m an artist. I shouldn’t be on the news. Many assumptions are made about my content. I trust my art and my audience to speak for me. #TrustTheAudience pic.twitter.com/NTT9T5cEq9
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 10, 2022
Last year Das had issued a statement on the controversy saying, “The comments in I come from two Indias weren’t intended to insult the country. A section on Twitter posted clips and pictures from his monologue, specifically the part where I said I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang-rape them during the night.” He said that the video was a satire about the duality of two very separate Indias that do different things. “Like any nation has light and dark, good and evil within it. None of this is a secret. The video appeals for us to never forget that we are great. To never stop focusing on what makes us great,” he said.