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Star Plus obviously thinks PM Modi can't take a joke

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DailyBite
DailyBiteOct 26, 2017 | 20:02

Star Plus obviously thinks PM Modi can't take a joke

Shyam Rangeela's act was to be telecast on Star Plus’s “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge”.

The nation can't take a joke. Comedian Shyam Rangeela's recent performance on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, in which he mimicked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is now a clip that's circulating on social media. Rangeela, who was eliminated from the show, has now alleged that the channel made him change his act multiple times at the last minute, first asking him to delete references to Modi, and later, to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

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His first act for the channel - the video which has gone viral is the leaked copy - was never telecast. Rangeela says this episode can hurt his career. He feels people will think he was so bad that he had to be eliminated in the first round.

This self-censorship by the channel is remarkable. India's "prime-time" comedy shows have never been particularly discerning about the content they air. Recently, on this very show, Akshay Kumar and Rohit Shetty enacted how costume artists on film sets sexually abuse women, to uproars of laughter.  

When that was found inoffensive by Star Plus, self-restraint on Rangeela’s act is appalling.

Rangeela has claimed that he never auditioned for the show, but was invited by the channel because of his popular videos. Rangeela has a YouTube channel, and had shot to fame with a "Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai" video during demonetisation.

Rangeela had shot to fame with a Sonam Gupta bewafa hai video during demonetisation. Photo: Facebook/Shyam Rangeela
Rangeela had shot to fame with a Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai video during demonetisation. Photo: Facebook/Shyam Rangeela

In the leaked Star Plus clip, the show's judges and mentors - Akshay Kumar, Mallika Dua, Hussain Dalal and Zakir Khan - can be seen rolling with laughter at Rangeela's act. So what made the channel pull back at the last minute?

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Rangeela's act is harmless fun, eliciting a few laughs mainly because of his mimicry of the way Modi speaks. It is by no means a political satire or criticism of achhe din. That a channel was too spooked to air this for the "fear of controversies" is a sad commentary on the times we are living in.

 

Star Plus has good reasons to fear controversies. A few months ago, an FIR was lodged against comedy group All India Bakchod because one of their members put a dog snapchat filter on Modi. Lumpen elements and politicians are being allowed to decide movie scripts, as happened recently in the case of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati and Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Dictatorial regimes have historically been unable to take a joke. The myth of a "great leader" takes effort to create, and laughter is the easiest way to dispel a halo. The leader has to be above the mere mortals, preferred emotions towards him are fear, awe and respect. Poking fun at him brings him down from the pedestal, making him one among the commoners.

All dictatorial regimes - the communist government in China, whatever passes for a government in Kim Jong-Un's North Korea - fear comedians, and have harsh laws in place to regulate them. Budding authoritarians, like Donald Trump in the US, too kick out against comedians.

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It is easy to dismiss the Star Plus incident as a channel's private decision. But discretion becoming another word for fear is not good news, especially for a democracy. Rangeela has been popular on social media for months, and no complaint against his content has so far surfaced. Yet, Star Plus thought his act could spark "controversy", and decided to err on the side of caution.

A democratic government should ideally ensure a secure environment for artists to perform. The Prime Minister himself had tweeted once that we need more humour in public life. That his government's image is enough to scare away humour is no joke.

Last updated: October 26, 2017 | 20:14
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