Propagandist ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra has expressed his disappointment as he saw no comedian defending Tanmay Bhat who was removed from Kotak Mahindra Bank’s advertisement. On 14th February 2023, Kunal Kamra tweeted, “I can’t believe no comedians are siding with victim Tanmay Bhatt he has faced so many atrocities in life & still counting. Sad day for the comedy world over. Shame on the Indian comedy scene.”
I can’t believe no comedians are siding with victim Tanmay Bhatt he has faced so many atrocities in life & still counting. Sad day for comedy world over…
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) February 14, 2023
Shame on indian comedy scene https://t.co/o5CVrxe5Ui
After being called out for supporting a controversial ‘comedian’, Kunal Kamra went into damage control mode, stating that his tweet was meant as sarcasm.
Ma’am this. https://t.co/iwa0WkKOEw pic.twitter.com/Qo5XAdQdd9
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) February 14, 2023
Self-described comedians and fact-checkers often resort to such means where they lean on ‘sarcasm’ when caught on the wrong foot. Kamra, too, appeared to manage the backlash by claiming that his tweet lauding the controversial AIB ‘comedian’ known for his vulgar and derogatory jokes was sarcastic.
Kotak Group withdraws its ad campaign featuring Tanmay Bhat
On February 12, Kotak Mahindra Bank’s digital banking handle Kotak811 withdrew the campaign featuring controversial former AIB comedian Tanmay Bhat after it received a backlash on social media. In a tweet, Kotak811 said, “We at Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. do not support or endorse the views of actors made in their personal capacity that harm or offend any individual or group. We have withdrawn the campaign.” The ad campaign also featured comedian Samay Raina.
We, at Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. do not support or endorse the views of actors made in their personal capacity that harm or offend any individual or group. We have withdrawn the campaign.
— Kotak 811 (@kotak811) February 12, 2023
Kotak811 launched the campaign on January 30. Considering Tanmay’s controversial history, the netizens did not take the idea of taking him for the drive. Kotak811 and Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Chairman and Managing Director, Udit Kotak, were called out on social media for using him for the campaign. As a result, the Bank withdrew the ad campaign.
As none of the comedians was seen backing Tanmay Bhat, propagandist Kunal Kamra ranted on social media saying that Tanmay Bhat is a victim. In fact, Kunal Kamra himself is an accused in a case of contempt of the court. After the recent Gujarat assembly elections were declared in which BJP secured a landslide victory, he tweeted that he will be able to perform in certain cities of Gujarat only in his next life. Many Twitter users roasted him for this tweet.
Just like Kunal Kamra, Tanmay Bhat who was a founding member of the controversial comedian group All India Bakchod (AIB), has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons on several occasions. Tanmay Bhat has a history of making derogatory and problematic tweets. He not only insulted legendary singer Late Lata Mangeshkar at one point but also made casual jokes about child sexual exploitation.
His group AIB was infamous for making controversial jokes, and it was closed down after one of its members was accused of sexual harassment. Notably, the other members, including Bhat, were aware of the accusations before they were made public, but they decided not to act strictly upon them. The accusations were made public in the wake of the MeToo movement that swept the country in 2018.
