You have got to hand it to Kunal Kamra, he has a knack of getting into all kinds of controversies. Being a ‘Stand Up’ comedian is a tough job really, firstly he has to physically stand as he can’t afford to sit down during the shows, which must be quite an ordeal for him, going by his ‘kamra’ (room) of ‘kamar’ (waist). Well as the adage goes in Hindi “यथा नाम तथा गुण ” so you can’t blame him for that. Frankly I find his brand of humour not just in poor taste, but also crass as the language he chooses to use is generously loaded with expletives in Hindi. Funny part is the show is in the Queen’s language as most of his ilk are to the manor born, his fan following is typically restricted to the Gen Zee and some of the millennials, as those born prior to that are quite chary when it comes to very colourful language that too in a family setting.
In the Army we have two types of stuff, one which is kept purely for inspections, be it uniform or crockery, the other one is the ‘daily use’ variety. The inspection types get relegated to the daily use variety when a new item is procured. Similarly the means of communication with troops differ from that with the hierarchy or at home. With men in uniform, especially when troops belong to the Punjab, the language is colourful but if they are from the hills or down South, one better watch out, as they don’t take kindly to such offensive language. Be that as it may, the use of slangs with friends makes communication more informal, so there is greater tolerance there. Even in these gatherings there are some of us who refrain getting colloquial and guess what, we are accepted as we are, despite this flaw of ours.
But getting back to Mr Room, pardon the pun, this room definitely has a view and not just one but “Views”, Kamra of course, he is a gutsy fellow, pokes the high and mighty and doesn’t back down. The politicians may actually be cross with him as they are known to eat their words for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and here this guy just refuses to do that. The other remarkable thing about him is his allegiance to the group which is opposed to the present dispensation. We all know there is a good market out there, just write, speak, act in a manner which refers to the powers that be in a poor light and you shall be hailed as a messiah. You will turn into a social media influencer worth courting and you can laugh all the way to the bank. Any trash will do, but be prepared for all kinds of charges, libel suits and even physical threats, yes, the legal luminaries will fall over each other to take your cases even pro bono, nobody minds publicity, you see.
I may not like his comedy, but he definitely has a right to express it, written or verbal, as Voltaire famously said, “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” A word of advice for the high and mighty too, if you learn to ignore such pricks, they will lose their nuisance value and they will literally be seeking refuge in some corner somewhere. Life of a social media celebrity is limited to the time he remains relevant, so take your call. If RK Laxman could not just get away with lampooning almost everyone he chose to and still walk away with not just his head held high but also being awarded the second highest civilian award, “Padma Vibhushan”, you could too and the best part is even a family audience can watch it with pleasure for whatever is its worth.