Victims, Fellow Comedians Speak Up Against Utsav Chakraborty, His ‘Apology’ Fails Miserably

Yesterday was a dark day for the standup community of India. And yet, for women, a day that proved how powerful an impact their speaking up about sexual harassment can have. A single woman’s voice, fuelled by the courage of other women, and an explosive Twitter thread managed to bring the alleged ugly reality of comedian and YouTuber Utsav Chakraborty before everyone else.

In her Twitter thread, the woman accused Utsav Chakraborty of sending sexually explicit messages to minors and unsolicited dick pics to several girls.

https://www.instagram.com/p/3jpBDCTWJO/?utm_source=ig_embed

Utsav being a former All India Bakchod (AIB) employee, their official Twitter account issued an official statement about the same.

Several of Utsav’s fellow comedians condemned his actions and expressed their shame over what had gone on in their community, unchecked, and in some instances voluntarily ignored.

This is awful. We have to do better and listen, learn and improve. This is so dispiriting to read that I can’t imagine how degrading it must have been to receive. https://t.co/IaiPLd2iWo

— Kautuk Srivastava (@Cowtuk) October 4, 2018

I’m sorry this happened to so many women. Thank you for speaking up @AGirlOfHerWords and giving others the courage to do so too. Such behaviour is appalling. To all the women who came out- we hear you, believe you and will support you.

— Varun Thakur (@VarunmThakur) October 4, 2018

We as a scene, specifically the men here, need to reexamine everything right now. I myself am guilty of being part of a culture where we haven't listened to the women. And this is the wake up call we need.
We are listening.
And we believe you.

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 4, 2018

The woman responsible for the original thread continued to share more and more screenshots from other women coming forward with their stories about Utsav.

In yet another shocking revelation, fellow comedian and a one-time friend of Utsav’s, Abhishek Upamanyu, also penned a Twitter thread, where he stated that he, Kunal Kamra, and a few other comedians knew of Utsav’s indecencies.

In his tweets, Upamanyu revealed that Kunal Kamra had informed him about Utsav sending a dick pic to the same woman who wrote the Twitter thread.

When I moved to Mumbai in 2015, one day Kamra told me that her friend Mahima got a dick pic from Utsav. I was shocked. Honestly, Coz he used to come across as very woke and why you shouldn’t send a dick pic is too easy to understand- Decency which I thought he had.

— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018

I called him out on the group immediately. This is July 2016. I said I won’t tell anyone yet. He called me immediately and said that she<insert victim blaming monologue of 15 mins with occasional yelling>. We kicked him out of the group and also distanced ourselves from him. pic.twitter.com/6dENRyz3CR

— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018

According to Upamanyu, Utsav even tried to make indecent assumptions about female comedians.

Then he also moved to Mumbai and I found out from other comedian that he has still not stopped being creepy. He would say disgusting stuff about female comedians in the circuit like “yeh nayi comedian hai aur unfunny hai par fir bhi spot mil raha hai hmmm” things like these.

— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018

I was managing a venue called “The Habitat” where I was incharge of curating the lineup of comedians. He was banned from performing there. I told him several times that he’s a creep and should stay away from me, but he kept defending himself. Never accepted his fault. Never. Once

— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018

Upamanyu mentioned how despite Utsav’s behaviour being an open secret in the comedy circuit, he still managed to get gigs because ‘he was funny’.

A lot of people knew about and he still kept getting work. A lot of work and money. Work and money other non-harassers could have done. No one cared. Coz “it’s Utsav ya” or “but he’s VERY funny”. He just kept getting away with it. More power to you Mahima for calling him out.

— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018

He called out how Utsav managed to exploit ‘feminism’ in his public persona, while in private, he was the stark opposite of what it stands for.

He has brought shame to the entire industry. This is one of the most privileged jobs in the country to the point that HE gets to exploit feminism and earn money from it, while sending dic pics. Humari industry ke woke log dic bhejte hain toh Bakio ka pata ni kya haal hoga.

— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018

Rohan Desai (@MautKaPashinda), who was mentioned in Upamanyu’s tweets above as one of those who knew about Utsav, also apologised for keeping mum about it for all this time.

https://twitter.com/MautKaPashinda/status/1047771180843683840

https://twitter.com/MautKaPashinda/status/1047771543055417344

He confirmed Upamanyu’s thread as true and also mentioned that he no longer has any ties to Utsav.

https://twitter.com/MautKaPashinda/status/1047870890271109121

https://twitter.com/MautKaPashinda/status/1047871471299657728

The disgraced comedian in question, Utsav Chakraborty, had issued a rather vague statement about coming up with a clarification and some context to his actions, without discrediting any of the women who had spoken up against him.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047819302135640064

The above statement gave some people hope that maybe, just maybe for a change, a perp would apologise for his alleged crimes and finally show some respect to the women he had previously wronged.

Alas, what Utsav finally came up with as ‘context’ was BULLSHIT; his ‘clarification’ spanning some 25+ tweets was LAME; and the word ‘sorry’ was as absent from his words as sense was absent from Trump’s ‘covfefe’ tweet.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862466204635136

In hindsight, a lot of people thought that the only genuine thing about this thread was the very first line. That’s it. That’s where Utsav should have stopped, and maybe added a ‘sorry’.

But I get ahead of myself. Please, please read the rest of this thread which serves as a pathetic reminder of who men like to play the victim card.

“I would think that the world has shortchanged me.”

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862470054961160

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862475683778560

Perhaps, the most vile part of this ‘apology’ was how Utsav used his ‘illness’ to justify his actions. It sounded a lot like those memes that say “Excuse me for everything I do or so when I am hungry.”

“To use my illness as a crutch is stupid. But it’s not like it’s not relevant to this whole debacle.”

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862480393981953

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862486286962688

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862489881464832

His explanation for the imaginary rainbows-and-unicorns reality he had built in his head is probably funnier than his jokes.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862493912203264

‘Painkiller haze’ made me do it—that’s what he said. I kid you not.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862497590632449

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862502355357697

He then digressed to give us more context on some of his previous tweets, from back when he was @satanbhagat.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862505895288833

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862509334609921

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862514036498433

“I was an asshole and proud of it.”

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862518092390400

The point to this digression was finally clear: He tried to very subtly state that the people he might have offended in the past could be trying to jump on the current bandwagon and malign him some more.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862521762340869

He has also denied sexting minors.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862525855973376

Another genius piece of reasoning: A few positive responses made him generalise that every woman was okay with such behaviour.

“Some nice people did send me nudes and I started assuming that everyone was that forthcoming and open to sexting.”

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862530104872962

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862533560946688

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047862536962527237

“Not fully there as a person….”

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047868174140690437

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047868178016165888

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047868181992431623

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047868189131067392

So nice of him to admitted that he was a ‘monster’ here.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1047868192843096064

Basically, in his epic fail of an apology, Utsav managed to blame everything and everyone—Snapchat, his illness, and ‘nice people who send nudes willingly’—except himself.

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1048045231583576069

https://twitter.com/Wootsaw/status/1048046097317355520

Utsav’s pathetic excuse for an apology invoked the wrath of the Internet even more. His justification was trashed for not even including so much as a sorry even once.

https://twitter.com/supaarwoman/status/1047895325262979072

I empathise with your challenges but sexual abuse and physical health are two different things. You can't have an apology followed by "there is more" and "figuring out my medicine". Then it doesn't look like an apology, it is more like an excuse or a justification. https://t.co/byErn1pheN

— harish 🏳️‍🌈 (@hiyer) October 5, 2018

Dear Utsav, i suggest that you stop tweeting and start visiting a psychologist. You need therapy to keep your tendensies in control and also to control your suicidal thoughts. https://t.co/RIAZHaoYGk

— harish 🏳️‍🌈 (@hiyer) October 5, 2018

BUT WHERE IS THE SORRY?

WHERE IS THE SORRY????????????????

did any one see "sorry" any where? even once?

Oh and he did blame it on lupus. https://t.co/5WcbaC6Jb2

— Jeeya Sethi (@JeeyaDhadkDhadk) October 4, 2018

Is it just me or none of you have been able to find the word sorry in entire thread https://t.co/4MZEDn4zDT

— अंकित जैन (@indiantweeter) October 4, 2018

Another skeleton tumbled from the closet.

https://twitter.com/Trendulkar/status/1047905003661418499

This gave me a headache.
This is a template for all that an apology should not be.
Makes him come across as creepier and more deranged than what he looked like in the morning! https://t.co/LXzURLN6hI

— Pratyasha Rath (@pratyasharath) October 4, 2018

As Radhika Vaz and actress Amrita Puri called it, a ‘moronic’ explanation that just needs to STOP.

Please stop it. Women can’t have a bad mood in peace and blame it on PMS. Yet you guys can sexually harass a female and blame it on medication? https://t.co/OIFl12W2vp

— radhika vaz (@radvaz) October 4, 2018

What you are describing is sexual harassment. Your explanation is moronic. Take responsibility for your mistakes without making excuses. I am glad someone had the balls to call you out!

— Amrita Puri (@_Amrita_Puri) October 5, 2018

This justification rant is unbelievable.
1.He's in great pain that's relieved only when asking for nudes.
2. The women lie.He's a gentleman who never sent unsolicited dick pics & when he did,it wasnt his.
3. Girls, dig out the pics & Google. U're clearly not traumatized enough. pic.twitter.com/WGy5ZlJgMG

— Vijayeta (@SacredInsanity) October 4, 2018

This micro thread that made a very important point.

There are women I know with mental illnesses, autoimmune disorders with no cure, gilted and fractured pasts with families, a combination of it all, and yet not using it as a launch pad to be sexually inappropriate.

— Preeti Vangani (@Pscripturient) October 4, 2018

Not saying sorry means you are here, a possible predator, clarifying your stance, your context, your dilemma & your action with absolutely no thought to the person who had to embody your abuse, walk around with it, conceal it, feel self shame and self doubt, keep voice anonymous

— Preeti Vangani (@Pscripturient) October 4, 2018

If a woman is sex positive, it does not mean her inbox is open for your perverseness. If a woman is sex positive it does not mean she will be submissive and hand you parts of her body every time you casually talk to her

— Preeti Vangani (@Pscripturient) October 4, 2018

The can of worms that opened for Utsav was instrumental in opening another one, this time for social media personality Anurag Verma or @kitanurag. Three women came forth to share their stories of his indecent behaviour with them.

Okay. After the @/wootsaw incident I would just like to bring attention to @/kitanurag if it hasn’t been brought already. This happened three years ago and I am mentioning it so that if it did happen to other women they can speak up on it too. I am sure it did.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

This was when these people had started becoming popular on Indian twitter. I asked @/kitanurag his snapchat un because I wanted to follow him for jokes. He added me and it seemed okay. I don’t remember talking to him or initiating conversation— I usually just saw his stories.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

Umm. He would see mine as well, I guess. Anyway, all I remember is one day I got a suggestive.. ish snap from him. Which was supposed to be a joke i guess but didn’t seem like it. He was making sex noises and pulling something out of his pants and I got scared (I was just 20)

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

But the joke was that it was an oregano packet. Haha right??? No. We never interacted on a level for that joke to be normal as a message. Anyway, moving on, couple days later I got a snap from him which just said “Send nudes.” I freaked out and blocked him.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

He’s blocked to this day because I tend to repress and distract myself due to my own mental health issues. Regardless, I have discussed this several times with friends. I saw @AGirlOfHerWords’s thread today and felt that people like this need to be outed.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

I was young. 20 may seem old to you but I was young. I saw the world with rose tinted glasses. I thought these guys are woke and funny. Many girls who follow these guys will think this too. That’s what they often take advantage of.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

So there. I am leaving this thread open. I am over this issue but if any of you would like to speak up about yours, add to it. If you’d like to DM feel free, I’ll add screenshots. As much as I hope my experience was solitary, I am saddened to be sure it is not.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

Lastly, I can’t furnish proof from Snapchat because there isn’t any: he’s blocked. I tweeted at him for his snapchat and that’s in the public domain. I don’t want to put more emotional labour into this. I am telling the truth and it is your choice to believe it or not.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

But I would request not to come at me with counter arguments or defence. I have stated my incident as clearly and truthfully as I could and you can make of it what you want.

— malayka (@malsnt) October 4, 2018

Exactly the same thing happened to me. Word to word !!!

— Sabudana khichadi (@Dishasatra) October 4, 2018

A girl sent me this on dm saying I’m not alone ! pic.twitter.com/ElIW1jhgmJ

— Sabudana khichadi (@Dishasatra) October 4, 2018

In response, Anurag too had a ‘clarification’ for the women he had managed to harass. We can add this one to the list of failed attempts to justify as well.

https://twitter.com/kitAnurag/status/1047923878524329984

https://twitter.com/kitAnurag/status/1047923881254772737

https://twitter.com/kitAnurag/status/1047923884148891648

https://twitter.com/kitAnurag/status/1047942358518644741

The above revelations give us a lot to think about. Who are these people that we follow or idolise on social media? They’re celebrities in their own right, so does that make them think they can get away with anything? Also, rather than owning up to their mistake crime, they dare to blame it on an illness? Why, if you had even the slightest inkling that you might be doing something wrong, did you not seek help?

Women are often ridiculed for acting the way they do when PMSing. A woman who was absolved of a murder charge because of a rare PMS was mocked incessantly on social media. So then why do men think that being under the influence of painkillers, alcohol, drugs or mental health issues can absolve them of their behaviour?

Most importantly, why do men think women need their justification? Especially, when they’ve done such a botched up job of it. There’s no saving this ship from sinking, because the very life jacket has loopholes in it.