Complaints have been registered against comedian Vir Das for allegedly using derogatory language against India during an event in the US. One of the complaints was filed at the Tilak Marg Police Station in Delhi, ANI reported. Another was lodged with the Mumbai Police by high court lawyer Ashutosh Dubey.
Das, who is currently in the US, on Monday uploaded a video on YouTube, titled "I come from two Indias", that was part of his recent performance at the John F Kennedy Centre in Washington DC. In the six-minute video, 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.
A section on Twitter posted clips and pictures from his monologue, specifically the part where the comedian said, I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang-rape them during the night."
Kangana Ranaut also reacted to Das's monologue, and called it 'soft terrorism'. Slamming the video, Kangana wrote on her Instagram Stories, “When you generalise all Indian men as gang-rapists it gives rise and encouragement to racism and bullying against Indians all over the world...after Bengal Famine Churchill famously said, ‘These Indians breed like rabbits they are bound to die like this...’ he blamed Indians’ sex drive/fertility for the death of millions because of hunger... Such creative work targeting an entire race is soft terrorism... strict actions must be taken against such criminals."
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 16, 2021
Das on Tuesday issued a statement clarifying that his comments were not intended to insult the country.
"The video is a satire about the duality of two very separate India's 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.
"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," his statement read.
He added: "Please do not be fooled by edited snippets. People cheer for India with hope, not hate. People clap for India with respect, not malice. You cannot sell tickets, earn applause, or represent a great people with negativity, only with pride. I take pride in my country, and I carry that pride across the world.”
-with PTI inputs
