Who is Kunal Kamra? the comedian behind Maharashtra’s political storm

Mumbai: Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has faced the wrath of Shiv Sena and BJP for his brand of humour targeting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. His parody song mocking Shinde and calling him a traitor has triggered a massive political storm in Maharashtra, forcing Mumbai police to register a case against him for defaming the Shiv Sena leader.

In the video of the show, performed before a live audience recently, he can be seen modifying the song "Bholi Si Surat"—from the film "Dil To Pagal Hai"—to mock Shinde's political career. The video has garnered 1.5 million views and counting.

Controversies are not new to Kamra, as the 36-year-old frequently makes headlines, each time for something he has said in his shows or on social media. However, this is the first time his comments have taken on a political dimension, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding an apology and opposition leader Uddhav Thackeray coming to his defence. Amidst this, Shiv Sena workers vandalized the venue of his show.

YouTube show and politicians
In 2017, the Mumbai native grabbed attention with his first stand-up comedy video on YouTube, in which he poked fun at the government for invoking the Army and patriotism whenever criticized for its policies. Titled "Patriotism & the Government," the video has amassed 18 million views, according to a PTI report.

In the same year, he launched a YouTube show titled "Shut Up Ya Kunal," where he interviewed personalities from across the political spectrum. The guest list was eclectic, featuring BJP leader Tejasvi Surya, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, lyricist Javed Akhtar, and journalist Ravish Kumar. His questions were direct, and the show gained popularity for its memes and funny videos. This show also cemented his reputation as a controversial figure.

Arnab Goswami Row
In 2020, he heckled TV anchor Arnab Goswami aboard a Mumbai-Lucknow IndiGo flight. The video went viral, leading IndiGo to suspend Kamra from flying with the airline for six months. Air India and SpiceJet also put him on a no-fly list until further notice. He later faced a contempt case after mocking then Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde on social media when Goswami was granted interim bail in a 2018 abetment to suicide case.

Child Rights panel's action
Kamra stirred another controversy by sharing a morphed video of a child singing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Germany in 2020. The child originally sang "Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat," but in the edited version, the song was replaced with "Mehengayi Daayan Khaaye Jaat Hai" from the film Peepli Live. The child's NRI father called out Kamra for dragging his child into politics.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took cognizance of the incident and asked Twitter (now X) and the Delhi Police to take down the tweet. Following this, Kamra later deleted his post.

Meddling with VHP
In 2022, Kamra wrote to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), asking it to denounce Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse, to prove that the organization is pro-Hindu and anti-terrorism.

The comedian said he was ready to take a test to prove his relationship with God but also wanted to test the organization to see whether they were "truly the children of India." This statement came after Kamra's Gurugram show was cancelled following threats by Bajrang Dal and VHP to disrupt the event.

In 2024, Kamra faced criticism for his jokes about Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, in which he took a jibe at the 1999 blackbuck hunting case and the 2002 hit-and-run case. Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has also been a frequent target of his humor.