Zoro

Here for the Vibes😼😼
Not a Troll

[Apurva M Asrani @Apurvasrani]

I went to watch stand up comic Kunal Kamra live for the first time yesterday, at a small underground venue in Bengaluru.

Several of his ‘Standing Up’ shows in another Bengaluru locality had been cancelled after right-wing groups threatened to disrupt them, and the shows were moved to this venue. When we arrived, there were about nine policemen stationed outside. We had to hand over our IDs so that, in case anyone created a ruckus, the police would have the details of everyone inside.

It felt strangely like walking into a potential danger zone just to watch a stand-up show.

And yet, the police in this Congress-ruled state were not there to stop the comedian (for a change). They were there to protect him and us and our right to laugh.

I had expected Kunal to be a little cocky. Perhaps a comedian who had been through as much as he has would develop a certain swagger, a sense of being above the rest of us. But that wasn’t what I saw at all. He was incredibly human.

He spoke hilariously about a venue being broken down by Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai, about being repeatedly summoned and harassed after speaking about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and about the extraordinary machinery that seems to swing into action when a comedian says something powerful people don’t like.

But there was no false bravado in the way he told these stories. There was vulnerability. There was self-deprecation. There was storytelling and insight alongside the gags and one-liners.

There was no bitterness in him. No vindictiveness. He is a man who simply believes that he has a right to speak, and that nobody has the right to take that away from him.

Kunal did not allow any video recording of the performance. There is still a very real fear that a stray clip can be taken out of context, go viral and invite an endless cycle of outrage, threats and lawsuits. Unlike comedians with enormous commercial ecosystems (he mentioned Samay Raina) around them, Kunal doesn’t have the luxury of a battery of lawyers at his beck n call. Also, a recording doesn’t just expose the comedian. It can expose everyone who laughed in that room to a completely different kind of backlash.

Later, backstage, I met Kunal and the wonderful Shyam Rangeela, who did an absolutely hilarious act as Prime Minister Modi. There was also an interview between Kunal and Shyam’s Modi that I won’t reveal here. You really should watch the show to see it. All I will say is that it felt strangely satisfying to see ‘Modiji’ finally answer questions from the public.

I also told Kunal something that had struck me during the evening. Before 2014, we were used to laughing at our political leaders.

Manmohan Singh was mocked. Rajiv Gandhi was mocked. V. P. Singh was mocked. Lalu Prasad Yadav was mocked. Television satire regularly lampooned our politicians. We had caricatures, spoofs, political cartoons and comedy shows that treated even the most powerful people in the country as fair game.

Nobody seemed to think that laughing at a Prime Minister or Chief Minister was an act of treason.

Somewhere between 2014 and 2026, we seem to have developed a fear of even laughing at power.

And yesterday, in that tiny Bangalore room, I realised how much we have missed it. Because for 100 minutes, 100 people laughed freely.

And perhaps that is why protecting comedians like @kunalkamra88 and @ShyamRangeela matters.

They remind us that powerful people are not beyond laughter, and that we, the public, actually hold the power.

[Vipin Saroha @vipinsarohayt]

I uploaded a video on Instagram 'UPI payment charges and Trump’s pressure on Modi.'

The moment it went live, it was instantly blocked in India.

They amended the law claiming a 3-hour window, but in reality, “56-Inch Ka Chotta Bandar” couldn't even stand his ground for 3 minutes.

Undeclared Emergency!

[D.⛅ @Deep_Take001]

These people expect accountability from every single human on this planet apart from who they voted for. 😭

[Darab Farooqui @darab_farooqui]

You all will love this!!!

Anand Ranganathan has built a career on savaging Nehru. Scroll his timeline. Nehru, dawn to dusk, and never a kind word.

Now look at this.

In 1992 he went up to Cambridge on the Nehru Centenary Fellowship, an award linked to the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, the trust created in 1964 to keep Nehru's legacy burning, with Nehru's own daughter, Indira Gandhi, installed as its founding secretary.

He came home. And today he draws his salary as a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

A fellowship in Nehru's name. A day job at a university in Nehru's name.

And a public brand built on flaying the man both are named after.

Show me a bigger 'Namak Haraam'.

[Mr Sharma @sharma_views]

KEJRIWAL TURNS MODIS DEGREE ROW INTO ONE AWKWARD QUESTION 🚨

SHYAM MEERA: You cleared IIT in your first attempt?

KEJRIWAL 🎯: First attempt. Rank 563. Studied day and night. BJP even filed an RTI for my degree records.

SHYAM: Your IIT Kharagpur records?

KEJRIWAL: Yes. I said release everything. Degree, marks, rank. Then I asked for Modi’s degree and got a criminal case.

SHYAM 😳: A criminal case for asking?

KEJRIWAL 🔥: Yes. If your student becomes PM, universities proudly claim him and invite him back. Here nobody claims the degree. Ask for it, and you get a case.

[Tarun Gautam @TARUNspeakss]

Still can’t tag Modi & Rekha Gupta. What a faithful dog.

[Drunk Journalist @drunkJournalist]

He is a HINDU man named DHEERAJ AGARWAL.

Let me repeat a HINDU man named DHEERAJ AGARWAL.

These assholes can't speak a word of truth and all they spew is hate and lies.

[Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi]

E20 - दाल में काला नहीं, पूरी दाल ही काली है।

[Sansiddh Jain @sansiddh]

I just realised something crazy.

India's GDP was $700B in 2004, and it reached $2.1T by 2014. 3x in 10 years. It's been 12 years since then and our GDP is $3.9T. 3x toh choro, we've not even been able to 2x our GDP in 10 years LOLLL.

[Ashok Kumar Pandey अशोक اشوک @Ashok_Kashmir]

जिन्होंने ज़िंदगी में कोयला नहीं खरीदा वे मनमोहन सिंह पर कोयला घोटाला का फ़र्ज़ी आरोप लगा रहे थे।

[Priya Purohit @Priyaa_Purohit]

BIG ALERT FOR BHAKTS !!

Gen-Z has no mood to accept 75-year-old Narendra Modi.....👇

[Indian Youth Congress @IYC]

DARO MAT!! 🫵🏻🔥

Aapko target kiya ja raha hai? Abuse, doxxing ya dhamki mil rahi hai?

Akele mat lado. Hum aapke saath hain.

Online ho ya offline, BJP-RSS ke lampato ka ilaaj hum karenge!

Contact 📞 IYC SOS Helpline: 9811867474 NOW!

[SirKazam {blu tik} @SirKazamJeevi]

Khi Khi Khi

[Abhijeet Dipke @abhijeet_dipke]

I am ready to reveal my scholarship letter & education loan letter.

Will the emperor show his degree?

[Sanghmitra Hitaishi @sanghmitrahit20]

He is not our father, we are not his children. He is a public servant who has been voted by Indian Adults.

[Mr Sharma @sharma_views]

ASHUTOSH RANA LETS KANGANA’S OWN WORDS INTRODUCE HER 🚨

REPORTER: How do you view the youth protesting at Jantar Mantar?

ASHUTOSH RANA 🎯: They are voicing their aspirations, not fighting the nation. Families can disagree without becoming enemies. India’s future rests on their shoulders.

REPORTER: Kangana Ranaut called GENZ ugly and corrupt. Your response?

ASHUTOSH 🔥: A lion roars, an elephant trumpets and a dog barks. Every being is known by its voice. Our words decide whether we earn respect or humiliation.

[Shivam Roy @shivamroy__]

🚨 This is how IT Celliyas spread propaganda.

There was no reply to Abhijeet Dipke's comment from the admin, but these IT Celliyas deliberately edited the comment to fool the andhbhakts.

[RamBhakt (Original ❤️) @rambhakt_origin]

This 👇👇👇

[Aparna @chhuti_is]

Doval’s two sons are foreign nationals.