Renowned Indian comedian and actor Vir Das has landed in hot waters as his latest monologue titled I Come from Two Indian has sparked a furious debate on social media.
On Monday, the Delhi Belly star posted a six-minute video on YouTube, which was a part of his recent performance at the John F Kennedy Centre in Washington DC.
In the clip, he describes two contrasting faces of the country and refers to many controversial topics such as farmer protests and COVID-19 relief efforts.
"I come from an India where we bleed blue every time we play green," he said, referring to the sporting uniforms of his country and arch-rival Pakistan. "But every time we lose to green, we turn orange all of a sudden."
“I come from an India where children in masks hold hands with each other and yet, I come from an India where leaders hug each other without masks.” He then spoke about the prevalent rape culture in the country. “I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang-rape them during the night,” he continued.
Soon after Das released the video, social media users accused him of insulting India on the global stage, and at least two police complaints were filed against him.
Das took to Twitter insisting the video was a "satire about the duality of two separate Indias that do different things.
“The video appeals for us to never forget that we are great,” Das said in his defence. “To never stop focusing on what makes us great.”
Moreover, the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday said Das would not be allowed to perform in the state after the controversial monologue
Earlier, Indian actress Kangana Ranaut also slammed Das and called his video "soft terrorism." Taking to her Instagram Stories, the Manikarnika actress wrote, "Strict action should be taken against such criminals."
