Acclaimed Indian artist Vir Das, popular for his dark humor and bang on comic timing recently found himself in a legal soup after he delivered a seven-minute monologue at the John F Kennedy Centre in Washington DC. Das has been visiting the US for his show titled ‘I Come From Two Indias’.
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Recently, he uploaded a clip from his show which is a monologue about the two Indias he belongs to. In his monologue, Das spoke about some of the topical issues that the country is currently faced with.
He took a dig at the country’s increasing pollution levels, rising number of rape cases, battle against coronavirus, farmer’s protest among other matters.
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The video was met with a lot of reactions. Some were offended alleging that he was defaming the country in a foreign land.
Generalising the evils of a few individuals and vilifying the nation as a whole in front of the world is just not done!
The people who painted India in front of the west as a nation of saperas and luteras during the colonial rule have not ceased to exist.#VirDas
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) November 16, 2021
Two Indias of Vir Das. pic.twitter.com/Kp91n5OisT
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) November 17, 2021
And where women are safe? Can you enlighten us? It's a heinous crime, not a comic tool to grab some attention. What did Vir Das do when the metoo campaign started from his industry? Nothing
This happened last month where Vir Das was demeaning India, they don't worship women, so? pic.twitter.com/E71ksDEIRF
— Agnostic_Exploring 🎆🎇 (@aimingforlight) November 17, 2021
Woke feminist – dude, don’t look at women as only bodies. That’s patriarchal misogyny! Also some feminist on @thevirdas and his crass jokes like these – hey, that’s so funny! pic.twitter.com/psGmJKfVC4
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) November 17, 2021
Everytime i see @thevirdas preaching about feminism while strengthening the stereotype of vile lustful indian man abroad, i'm reminded that Vir das has actually contributed in objectifying women, only the Gods know what he did prior to when he was not famous? #VirDasInsultsIndia https://t.co/fO7rliMDAF
— Amit अमित (@Subtle_Indian) November 17, 2021
Na na, there are two Indian one where vir das goes and gives gyan and the other where he comes back home and does misogyny.
— greenwood (@Tylerdurdenfk) November 17, 2021
Others applauded his mindfulness in speaking about the duality of India.
A stand-up comedian who knows the real meaning of the term "stand up" is not physical but moral — @thevirdas spoke for millions in this 6-minute take on the Two Indias he hails from & stands up for. https://t.co/94h4SnyZhX
"This is a joke, but it's just not funny." Brilliant.— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 16, 2021
Vir Das
None can doubt that there are two India’s
Just that we don’t want an Indian to tell the world about it
We are intolerant and hypocritical
— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) November 17, 2021
This is something you need to watch.
2 INDIAS by @thevirdas https://t.co/Ku59q9Saa6— Jai Mehta (@JaiHMehta) November 16, 2021
Morning musing: by abusing/seeking to file cases against @thevirdas his critics only prove his point: satire is not a crime, dissent is not anti national. Some may get angry/offended but it isn’t hate speech nor inciting violence. Thank god for stand up artists who stand up!👍🙏
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) November 17, 2021
Do listen to @thevirdas on the two India that he comes from.
Sad that we have reached a point where saying it as it is, is an act of courage.https://t.co/glMx1pFMd2— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) November 16, 2021
People were so irked that police complaints were reportedly filed against the artist in Mumbai and Delhi for “derogatory statements against India”.
While his video is met with applause towards the end, it also received a sizeable reaction. Hence, the 42-year-old took to social media and issued a clarification. In his lengthy note, he penned that “the video appeals for us to never forget that we are great. To never stop focusing on what makes us great.”
“It ends in a gigantic patriotic round of applause for a country we all love, believe in and are proud of. That there is more to our country than the headlines, a deep beauty. That’s the point of the video and the reason for the applause.”
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 16, 2021
Suggesting people to not be ‘fooled by edited snippets’, he further wrote, “People cheer for India with hope, not hate. People clap for India with respect, not malice. You cannot sell tickets, earn applause, or represent great people with negativity, only with pride. I take pride in my country, and I carry that pride across the world.
“To me, a room full of people anywhere in the world, giving India an ovation is pure love. I ask of you, the same thing I asked of that audience…to focus on the light, remember our greatness, and spread the love,” he concluded.
Here’s his controversial video:
What do you think of this incident?