They say India is a democratic yet intolerant country and honestly, this accusation is not completely false. With the rise of right-wing politics in India, there has been a rather significant change in the country’s tolerance towards critique and satire. Despite the growing number of stand-up comedians who persistently satirize the government and its policies like; Kunal Kamra, Varun Grover, and social media pages like Aisi Taisi Democracy and Humans of Hindutva, the masses do not necessarily approve of them. Apart from the constant death threats which flood their inboxes and comments sections, these people have also faced FIR charges for speaking against the government. In the past, an FIR was filed against Tanmay Bhat, one of the founders of AIB, for posting a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Snapchat dog filter. Earlier in May 2019, Priyanka Sharma, a BJP leader also had to face legal charges when she morphed West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamta Banerjee’s photo on Priyanka Chopra’s Met Gala look.
Growing up, we were all taught stories of Tenali Rama and Birbal, the court poets who were applauded for their witty remarks and their audacity to prove the emperors wrong by pointing out their follies. It is believed that court poets were the only ones who were allowed to make fun of the rulers. In fact, they not only made fun of the rulers but also advised them on political matters directly and indirectly. Remember the story where Akbar had promised a hundred gold coins to whoever could stand in the freezing cold water for an entire night but refused to live up to it and instead accused the person of drawing heat from a faraway lamp? Birbal then invited Akbar over lunch where he had placed the pot high above the fire to prove to him that his accusations were illogical and baseless. What is worth noticing in these stories is that in none of them was Birbal accused of being a traitor or being disrespectful to either the king or the court. He was merely providing a logical point of view to numerous events using humour and wit.
Until a few years ago, NDTV used to air a show called “Gustakhi Maaf” which depicted Indian politicians as puppets with near to perfect mimicry voices in parodied situations. From Lalu Prasad Yadav to Manmohan Singh, the show satirized the current events in the political environment and even critically commented on the budget policies, etc. Ministers from all states and belonging to all political parties were mocked just the same. Unsurprisingly, Gustakhi Maaf ceased to air on Indian television after 2014. An Indian adaptation of the popular British sitcom Yes Prime Minister also aired around the same time as Ji Mantriji, starring Farooq Sheikh and Surya Prakash Singh.
More recently, stand-up comedians like Kunal Kamra and Varun Grover, whose subject of comedy is particularly political satire have faced backlashes from the masses on social media for critiquing the current ruling party. Most often, these setbacks are not verbal and direct, they are rather silent and threatening. Sometimes their shows get cancelled at the last minute especially if they are performing in an educational institute.
Yet, their determination to speak up against the, what is now believed to be the authoritarian and fascist regime is undeterred. Despite the daily death threats and social media restrictions imposed on them, they continue to fight the government where they err. In light of the CAA and NRC protests going on throughout the nation, Varun Grover’s Hum Kagaz Nahi Dikhayenge has gone viral to the extent that few years down the line, if it survives the throes of history, it might be remembered with the same passion as Faiz’s Hum Dekhenge. The history of India is full of revolution and the youth of the country has always risen up to save this country from being ripped apart into shreds. With the advent of satire into the polity once again, we witness a larger number of the younger generation participating in discourses and dialogues relating to the politics. Their YouTube videos have crossed millions of views and their shows might always be sold out but even if tomorrow, their videos are taken down or the events cancelled, the discourse that they have initiated and the questions that they have raised against the government and its policies will continue to live on. This generation will give birth to thousands of young and fearless artists who are not afraid to use their art to fight evil. Rather, they will bring about change in the most non-violent and passive-aggressive way possible – through laughter and comedy.
Written by: Hiral Goyal
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