Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra shifts shows amid opposition from Hindutva outfits
Kunal Kamra shifts his Bengaluru shows to Koramangala after opposition from Hindutva groups at the original Whitefield venue.
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you've access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Need help with your subscription?
Instead of Whitefield, Kamra will perform four shows in Koramangala
Updated - August 03, 2026 01:43 pm IST - Bengaluru
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has cancelled his scheduled shows from Monday to Thursday at a venue in Whitefield and shifted them to another venue in Koramangala.
The development comes after a Hindutva outfit, Hindu Rashtra Samanvaya Samiti, petitioned the Whitefield police, demanding that Mr. Kamra should not be permitted to perform.
Column | Missing: India’s comic sense
They had contended that Mr. Kamra had disrespected Hindu deities.
A senior police official from the Whitefield Division told The Hindu that Mr. Kamra and the organisers of the shows visited the Whitefield Police Station on Sunday and informed that they had decided to cancel the shows. The decision, they said, was taken as the event had become controversial. No law and order incident was reported in connection with the scheduled performance.
From our archives: Is India criminalising comedy and entertainment?
Taking to social media platform X, Mr. Kamra on Sunday announced: “Shows for Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday shifted to Underground Comedy Club in Koramangala.”
He further said that amount would be refunded to those who had already booked tickets for the Whitefield shows and requested them to book shows at the Koramangala venue afresh.
On Saturday, responding to the Hindutva activists objecting to his shows in Whitefield, Mr. Kamra gave an open invite on X that he would be at the Whitefield Police Station on Sunday to seek permission to perform and any objectors were free to join him to debate on “comedy and culture”. He later said only senior journalist Aakar Patel turned up.
Meanwhile, Mohan Gowda, spokesperson, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, said that Mr. Kamra shifted the shows after facing strong opposition and appealed to the Koramangala police not to allow him to perform in their jurisdiction.
Sources in the government said that the shows would be not stopped.
Published - August 02, 2026 10:19 pm IST
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
