Comedian Kunal Kamra has formally announced the cancellation of his events in Whitefield, Bengaluru, after shifting his comedy event to Koramangala amidst strong opposition from the right-wing activists. This decision is taken by him amid increasing tension about his performances in the city for the past few days.
On Sunday, Kunal visited Whitefield police station and informed the authorities about his decision to not perform at the scheduled venue URU Whitefield. “He came to the police station and informed us that he has decided to cancel the event scheduled in Whitefield due to opposition from Hindutva activists,” a senior police official told a news publication.
The entire controversy started after the Hindu Rashtra Samanvaya Samiti filed a formal complaint in Bengaluru Police asking them to ban Kunal from performing on stage. This petition was filed because the group believed that there were threats to public law, order and harmony from the performance of the artist and he had disrespected the Hindu deities.
He spoke directly to the audience on the social media platform X about the logistical changes for the affected ticket holders. “Shows for Monday - Tuesday -Wednesday - Thursday shifted to Underground Comedy Club in Kormangla (sic),” he announced on the page. He also noted that BookMyShow will automatically issue refunds for the Whitefield show, encouraging fans to buy new tickets for the Koramangala venue, which has significantly less capacity for the number of people that can attend.
Notwithstanding the abrupt change in venue, Kunal decided to perform his acts at the specified time amid the security measures. According to those who attended the shows on Tuesday, fans had to go through police barricades and security checks before entering the comedy club.
This is a common case of satire comedians trying to perform amidst the political tensions in India’s live entertainment industry. However, for standup comedians in Bengaluru, the venue change suggests that Kunal’s shows will run smoothly in the Underground Comedy Club during the week.
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