It seems that the issue of Utsav Chakraborty’s sexual harassment of aspiring standup comedian Mahima Kukreja and many other women won’t cool down anytime soon. As the mainstream media mostly stayed mum on this issue, with some even shamelessly supporting Utsav, Twitter user and emerging standup comedian Abhishek Upamanyu has further exposed the dark nexus that allowed the likes of Utsav Chakraborty to be bold enough to carry out such horrible activities.
In a long and caustic Twitter thread, Abhishek Upamanyu vociferously backed Mahima Kukreja on the issue of the latter being subjected to lewd pictures and sexual harassment at the hands of Utsav, revealing his own connection with the comedian when they began as amateurs in this genre.
However, as he progressed further, Abhishek went on to castigate AIB for being mysteriously silent on this issue, and then dropped the bombshell: apart from AIB, even the crass, bigoted and notorious comedian Kunal Kamra was aware about the entire issue. Yet, he chose to do nothing and indirectly supported the horrible deeds of Utsav, as reflected in the following thread:
When I moved to Mumbai in 2015, one day Kamra told me that her friend Mahima got a dick pic from Utsav. I was shocked. Honestly, Coz he used to come across as very woke and why you shouldn’t send a dick pic is too easy to understand- Decency which I thought he had.
— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018
Everything is true. And also that a lot of people knew and still worked with him. In 2014 he was in Delhi and was with me in a comedy collective called Jabdatod Murgey along with @dennymades @madhvens @MautKaPashinda . We had a Facebook group on which discussed jokes. https://t.co/ReIRTdf3QB
— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) October 4, 2018
With that, it’s now completely official that AIB and Kunal Kamra were well aware about this entire incident, not from right now, but for 3 whole years. Yes, they knew about this harassment for 3 whole years and yet they did nothing! Ironically, it was this very AIB who would preach about feminism, equality and their ‘hatred’ for ‘patriarchal’ Indian society which enables.
It’s no rocket science to determine the vicious hatred for nationalism and PM Modi that both harbor within themselves, though one never thought both would collaborate on such a vicious note. For those unaware, Kunal Kamra is a standup comedian, who became ‘famous’ for his crass, and insults meted on the nationalists and the Indian Army.
A known Modi critic, he never failed from stooping to any level just in order to be lauded by the intellectual cabal, from demonizing the Hindu community in the Kathua case to mocking and insulting the NDA ministers before the election campaigns. As such, his involvement in suppressing the case for years doesn’t surprise us at all.
However, it’s extremely ironical that the likes of Kunal Kamra proclaim themselves as ‘progressive feminists’ when their actions are completely opposite to the actual meaning. If only they were as active in saving the likes of Mahima as they were in issuing half-hearted ‘clarifications’ and delisting videos associated with YouTube. How aptly someone summed this aptitude up with this quote, ‘The only veil that resists to be lifted is the veil of hypocrisy.’
Worse, going by the present tweets of Kunal Kamra, it doesn’t look as if he is shameful about his deeds at all. In a rather mocking tweet, he posted the following:
We as a scene, specifically the men here, need to reexamine everything right now. I myself am guilty of being part of a culture where we haven't listened to the women. And this is the wake up call we need.
We are listening.
And we believe you.— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 4, 2018
Interestingly, the likes of Gurmehar Kaur, Swara Bhasker, Vir Das etc., who would’ve brought the house down had the accused been a nationalist or a Modi supporter, are mysteriously silent, refusing to comment at all. This speaks volumes of their priorities towards the actual issues that ail this country’s society, issues for which they claim to ‘risk their lives for.’ Also, Abhishek Upamanyu must be lauded for not keeping mum on this issue and standing with the victim in true letter and spirit.
