'Seen as variant of virus now': Comedian Kunal Kamra reacts after show cancelled in Bengaluru
Mumbai, Dec 1: Comedian Kunal Kamra on Wednesday said his upcoming stand-up shows, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru, have been cancelled after the organisers received threats.
The cancellation of Kamra's shows come just days after another stand up comedian Munnawar Faruqui was denied permission to perform in the city with the police calling him a "controversial figure".
Kamra, who has criticised the BJP-led NDA government over a number of issues in the past, posted a sarcastic statement on Twitter to inform his followers and detractors about the cancellations of his shows that were to be held in the city in the coming days.
"Hello Bangalore people. I'm happy to inform that my shows in Bangalore which were scheduled over the next 20 days have been cancelled. They've been cancelled for two reasons.
"Firstly, we didn't get special permission to seat 45 people in the venue that can seat more. Secondly, threats have been made to shut down the venue if I were to ever perform there. I guess this is also part of the Covid protocol & new guidelines. I suppose I am seen as a variant of the virus now," the comedian said.
Kamra said now that his shows have also been cancelled after Faruqui, it proves that the "ruling class" is at least trying to "oppress with equality".
"For those on Twitter that have been wondering how 'A Kamra goes on to perform while a Farooqui has had to quit comedy' we can find solace in the fact that the ruling class is at least trying to oppress with equality.
"Maybe if we continue down the road of equal oppression, we would get to a point of equal liberation, in a post climate change era," he said.
He further listed five steps to get a comedian's show cancelled.
"If they use this method & a show is not cancelled I'll give up being a stand up comedian. Step no 1 - Inform police that there could be violence. Step no 2 - Inform venue owner there could be violence. Step no 3 - Inform artist that if he/she/they will be coming there will surely be violence. Step no 4 - Remind the venue of what could happen if the artist manages to do a show despite the threats.
"Step no 5 - Be ready with celebration memes that show your victory and togetherness in missing the point. You can also apply this formula to an artist that you don't agree with, you don't find funny or don't like their art..."
Besides Kamra and Faruqui, comedian Vir Das also faced several complaints and online trolling for his 'Two Indias' monologue in the US recently.
Cancelling comedy shows 101.
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 1, 2021
😎😎😎 pic.twitter.com/fN0U7N8QrX
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
