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{{short description|Indian stand-up comedian (born 1988)}}
{{Infobox comedian
|birth_name = Kunal Kamra
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|10|3|df=yes}}
|birth_place = [[Mahim, Mumbai]], India
|notable_works = Shut up Ya Kunal, Why Are We Even
|website = {{URL|kunalkamra.in}}
|image =
}}

'''Kunal Kamra''' (born 3 October 1988) is an Indian [[standup comedian]] known for his [[observational comedy]] about absurdities of life. His performances include jokes about politics, cabbies, bachelor life and TV advertisements.<ref name="stand up comedy">{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/fashion-and-trends/kunal-kamra-talks-about-his-chance-encounter-with-stand-up-comedy/story-cvCxtPNT1oss0Ta2SwISVL.html|title=Kunal Kamra chance encounter with stand up comedy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321044724/https://www.hindustantimes.com/fashion-and-trends/kunal-kamra-talks-about-his-chance-encounter-with-stand-up-comedy/story-cvCxtPNT1oss0Ta2SwISVL.html|archive-date=2019-03-21|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, he was banned from flying for three months by five Indian air carriers after an incident on an [[IndiGo]] flight, where he "allegedly heckled" the Indian news anchor [[Arnab Goswami]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 January 2020|title=Comedian put on no-fly list for heckling right-wing journalist on plane|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/comedian-india-airline-ban-kunal-kamra-arnab-goswami-heckle-video-a9308211.html|access-date=23 June 2020|website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sharma|first=Niharika|title=A comedian heckles a "nationalist" news anchor—and riles the Indian government|url=https://qz.com/india/1792692/kunal-kamra-heckles-arnab-goswami-on-indigo-riles-hardeep-puri/|access-date=23 June 2020|website=Quartz India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Vistara bans comedian Kunal Kamra till April 27 for 'heckling' Arnab Goswami on IndiGo flight|url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/aviation/vistara-bans-comedian-kunal-kamra-for-heckling-arnab-goswami-on-indigo-flight-5480091.htm|access-date=23 June 2020|website=cnbctv18.com}}</ref>

== Career ==
Kunal Kamra was born on 3 October 1988, in [[Mahim]], [[Mumbai]], India.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/kunal-kamra-indian-comedian-riles-ruling-party-edgy-humour-180417065234329.html|title=Kunal Kamra birth place – Mahim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321180823/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/kunal-kamra-indian-comedian-riles-ruling-party-edgy-humour-180417065234329.html|archive-date=2019-03-21|url-status=live}}</ref> Kamra grew up in Mumbai, and joined [[Jai Hind College]] for a degree in [[commerce]]. He dropped out in the second year of his graduation to start working as a production assistant in [[Prasoon Pandey]]'s ad film production house Corcoise Films, where he worked for eleven years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kunal-kamra-on-his-shows-and-indian-stand-up-comedy/article19296076.ece|title=Murthy, Neeraja (2017-07-17). "Bring your brains along". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 May 2018.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015140436/https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kunal-kamra-on-his-shows-and-indian-stand-up-comedy/article19296076.ece|archive-date=15 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/C39AsWWaic7qvGsONZNCnJ/Kunal-Kamra-The-accidental-revolutionary.html|title=Kunal Kamra: The accidental revolutionary|last=Chatterjee|first=Suprateek|date=2018-03-16|website=Livemint|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref>

He started performing as a stand-up comedian in 2013, with a gig at the Canvas Laugh Club in Mumbai. A clip of one of his gigs, uploaded on YouTube in 2017, lead to him receiving death threats for his satirical take on Indian hyper-nationalism.<ref name=":2" /> He started his eponymous titled web-series ''Shut Up Ya Kunal'' in July 2017 along with Ramit Verma.<ref name=":4" /> The episodes typically feature a conversation with one or more invited guests, interposed with clips of news segments or debates, edited for humour.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/dont-get-mad-get-funny-5093304/|title=D'souza, Dipti Nagpaul (11 March 2018). "Don't Get Mad, Get Funny: Kunal Kamra on why his standup comedy is edgy, funny but completely safe". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 May 2018.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321044721/https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/dont-get-mad-get-funny-5093304/|archive-date=21 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> His best performances include jokes about cabbies, bachelor life and ridiculous TV advertisements.<ref name="stand up comedy" />

On 1 March 2017, he released a comedy video titled "Patriotism and the Government" on [[YouTube]] mocking the [[2016 Indian banknote demonetisation|Indian banknote demonetization]], the government and the attitude of Indians towards the army.<ref name=":1" /> He received several death threats for uploading the video.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra receives death threats for his sketch on patriotism- Entertainment News, Firstpost |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/stand-up-comedian-kunal-kamra-receives-death-threats-for-his-sketch-on-patriotism-3337986.html |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=Firstpost |date=16 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320142304/http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/stand-up-comedian-kunal-kamra-receives-death-threats-for-his-sketch-on-patriotism-3337986.html |archive-date=20 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, he shared that he was asked by his landlady to vacate the premise due to "political issues".<ref name="vacate house">{{cite news |title=Kunal Kamra asked to vacate his house: 'As a comedian having a political opinion comes at a cost'- Entertainment News, Firstpost |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kunal-kamra-asked-to-vacate-his-house-as-a-comedian-having-a-political-opinion-comes-at-a-cost-4319567.html |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=Firstpost |date=25 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331013041/http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kunal-kamra-asked-to-vacate-his-house-as-a-comedian-having-a-political-opinion-comes-at-a-cost-4319567.html |archive-date=31 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Incident on Indigo Flight ===
On 28 January 2020, Kamra, while travelling on an [[IndiGo]] flight, confronted the news anchor [[Arnab Goswami]], inviting him to debate with him. Kamra had raised questions about Arnab's coverage of issues on national affairs and the [[suicide of Rohith Vemula]].<ref name="gulf" /> Kamra later released a 1.51-minute long video of the incident on Twitter, which showed a non responsive Arnab while being questioned by Kamra.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kunal Kamra barred from flying Indigo, Air India |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kunal-kamra-barred-from-flying-indigo-for-6-months/article30677306.ece |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=The Hindu |date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130164858/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kunal-kamra-barred-from-flying-indigo-for-6-months/article30677306.ece |archive-date=30 January 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=SpiceJet bans Kunal Kamra, Twitter reminds the airline of Pragya Thakur incident |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/news/india/spicejet-bans-kunal-kamra-twitter-reminds-the-airline-of-pragya-thakur-incident/articleshow/73726660.cms |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=Bangalore Mirror |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205152431/https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/news/india/spicejet-bans-kunal-kamra-twitter-reminds-the-airline-of-pragya-thakur-incident/articleshow/73726660.cms |archive-date=5 February 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> The next day, Indigo banned Kamra from boarding its flight for a period of six months.<ref name="Lawsuit" />

The same day, government-owned airline [[Air India]] banned him indefinitely. Indian aviation minister, [[Hardeep Singh Puri]], tweeted that other airlines should follow suit and ban Kamra to ensure that an example was set.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/is-kunal-kamra-right-in-seeking-damages-from-indigo-for-flying-ban-heres-what-experts-say/articleshow/73863451.cms|title=Is Kunal Kamra right in seeking damages from IndiGo for flying ban? Here's what experts say|last=Chowdhury|first=Anirban|date=2020-02-02|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2020-02-05}}</ref><ref name="pilot">{{cite news|last1=Chandra|first1=Jagriti|date=30 January 2020|title=Kunal Kamra was not unruly, says IndiGo pilot who flew the comedian|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kunal-kamra-was-not-unruly-says-indigo-pilot-who-flew-the-comedian/article30693719.ece|url-status=live|access-date=5 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201043648/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kunal-kamra-was-not-unruly-says-indigo-pilot-who-flew-the-comedian/article30693719.ece|archive-date=1 February 2020}}</ref> Next day, other airlines [[SpiceJet]] and [[GoAir]] also banned him indefinitely. The ban was criticized for being excessive for the incident and against the existing rules of DGCA.<ref name="ET Ban">{{cite news |last1=Mishra |first1=Mihir |last2=Chowdhury |first2=Anirban |title=And the joke's on… Kunal Kamra flight bans |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/arnab-heckling-incident-after-indigo-air-india-spicejet-suspends-kunal-kamra/articleshow/73726336.cms |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=The Economic Times |date=31 January 2020}}</ref>

Film maker [[Anurag Kashyap]] refused to fly in the [[IndiGo]] airlines due to their decision to ban Kamra.<ref name="gulf">{{cite news |title=Anurag Kashyap refuses to fly IndiGo to support comedian Kunal Kamra |url=https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/anurag-kashyap-refuses-to-fly-indigo-to-support-comedian-kunal-kamra-1.1580823452362 |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=gulfnews.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204230130/https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/anurag-kashyap-refuses-to-fly-indigo-to-support-comedian-kunal-kamra-1.1580823452362 |archive-date=4 February 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two passengers of [[IndiGo]] also protested and displayed placards in the plane, in support of Kamra.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff |first1=Scroll |title=Watch: Passengers onboard an IndiGo flight protest against flying ban on comedian Kunal Kamra |url=https://scroll.in/video/952445/watch-passengers-onboard-an-indigo-flight-protest-against-flying-ban-on-comedian-kunal-kamra |access-date=7 February 2020 |work=Scroll.in}}</ref>

Kamra has issued a legal notice to IndiGo against the travel ban demanding a compensation of {{INRConvert|25|l}}.<ref name="Lawsuit">{{cite news |last1=NETWORK |first1=LIVELAW NEWS |title=Kunal Kamra Issues Legal Notice To Indigo Airlines Against Travel Ban; Demands Rs. 25L Compensation [Read Notice] |url=https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/kunal-kamra-issues-legal-notice-to-indigo-airlines-152242 |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=livelaw.in |date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205153819/https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/kunal-kamra-issues-legal-notice-to-indigo-airlines-152242 |archive-date=5 February 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Accusations of contempt of court ===
After Republic TV editor-in-chief [[Arnab Goswami]] was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on 11 November 2020, Kamra made a series of tweets critical of the Supreme Court. Eight people accused Kamra of contempt of court and sued him.<ref>{{cite news |title=Comedian Kunal Kamra Faces Contempt Charges Over Supreme Court Tweets |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/comedian-kunal-kamra-faces-contempt-charges-over-supreme-court-tweets-2324412 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=NDTV.com |date=12 November 2020}}</ref> The Attorney General [[K. K. Venugopal]] gave his mandatory approval to initiate contempt proceedings related to the tweets.<ref name="Contempt order">{{cite news |title=Initiate criminal contempt against Kunal Kamra for derogatory tweets against Supreme Court judge, says Attorney General|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/initiate-criminal-contempt-against-kunal-kamra-for-derogatory-tweets-against-top-court-judge-says-supreme-court-s-attorney-general/story-eYibg7X90hxDM4Vqklx16N.html |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=Hindustan Times|date=12 November 2020 }}</ref> Kamra said he continued to believe that "the silence of the Supreme Court of India on matters of other's personal liberty cannot go uncriticised." He does not intend to retract the tweets nor apologise for them. He asked that the time that may be allotted for hearing his contempt case should be spent on more important cases pending before the court.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Correspondent |first1=Legal |title=Kunal Kamra refuses to apologise, retract his tweets |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kunal-kamra-refuses-to-apologise-retract-his-tweets/article33092690.ece |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=The Hindu |date=13 November 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Service |first1=Tribune News |title='No lawyers, no apology': Comedian Kunal Kamra reacts to 'contempt proceedings' against him |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/no-lawyers-no-apology-comedian-kunal-kamra-reacts-to-contempt-proceedings-against-him-170157 |access-date=13 November 2020 |work=Tribuneindia News Service }}</ref>

== Works ==

=== Shut Up Ya Kunal ===
In 2017, Kunal launched a YouTube podcast titled ''Shut Up Ya Kunal'' along with his friend Ramit Verma. The show features Kamra engaged in an informal discussion with politicians and activists from both ends of the spectrum.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/india/1609531/youtuber-kunal-kamra-on-india-election-2019-modis-bjp-congress/|title=Ultra right-wing versus ultra spineless—Kunal Kamra sums up Indian politics in 2019|last=Merelli|first=Annalisa|website=Quartz India|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101100417/https://qz.com/india/1609531/youtuber-kunal-kamra-on-india-election-2019-modis-bjp-congress/|archive-date=2019-11-01|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Kunal Kamra – Artist Profile|url=https://eventseeker.com/artist/88699-kunal-kamra|access-date=2019-11-20|website=eventseeker.com}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/magazine/845671/a-new-indian-comedy-podcast-is-finally-making-politicians-laugh-how-many-will-say-shut-up-ya-kunal|title=A new Indian comedy podcast is finally making politicians laugh. How many will say Shut Up Ya Kunal?|last=Rao|first=Soumya|website=Scroll.in|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321050315/https://scroll.in/magazine/845671/a-new-indian-comedy-podcast-is-finally-making-politicians-laugh-how-many-will-say-shut-up-ya-kunal|archive-date=2019-03-21|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://eventseeker.com/artist/88699-kunal-kamra|title=Kunal Kamra – Artist Profile|website=eventseeker.com|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref> The videos are interspersed with news clips of the guests contradicting their own statements to comic effect.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" /> Ramit Verma of the satirical Facebook page PeeingHuman is the show's creative director and editor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://deadant.co/interview-kunal-kamra-political-comedy-potential-limitations/|title='Nobody Buys a Ticket to Put You on a Pedestal of Wokeness': Kunal Kamra, on the Potential & Limitations of Political Comedy in India|date=2019-05-22|website=Dead Ant|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadant.co/modi-goswami-done-more-damage-to-the-media-than-anyone-could-ever-do-peeinghuman-creator/|title=Modi & Goswami 'Have Done More Damage To Indian Media Than Anyone': PeeingHuman Creator Ramit Verma|date=2019-02-18|website=Dead Ant|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020093218/https://deadant.co/modi-goswami-done-more-damage-to-the-media-than-anyone-could-ever-do-peeinghuman-creator/|archive-date=2019-10-20|url-status=live}}</ref> The first episode aired on July 20, 2017 and featured [[Madhukeshwar Desai]], the vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing.<ref name=":4" /> The episode featuring JNU students [[Kanhaiya Kumar]] and [[Umar Khalid]] reached around a million views within hours of release.
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of ''Shut Up Ya Kunal'' Episodes
!No.
!Guests
|-
|1
|[[Madhukeshwar Desai]], (Vice-president of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP Youth Wing]])
|-
|2
|[[Priyanka Chaturvedi]], (ex National Spokesperson, [[Indian National Congress|Congress]])<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thequint.com/neon/shut-up-ya-kunal-kamra-comedian-political-review|title="Please Don't 'Shut Up Ya Kunal': Enjoying Politics Through Comedy". The Quint. Retrieved 27 May 2018.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015140428/https://www.thequint.com/neon/shut-up-ya-kunal-kamra-comedian-political-review|archive-date=15 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|3
|[[Kanhaiya Kumar]] and [[Umar Khalid]] ([[Jawaharlal Nehru University|JNU]] students)
|-
|4
|[[Karuna Nundy]] (Supreme Court Lawyer) and [[Siddharth Varadarajan]] (Co-founder, [[The Wire (India)|The Wire]])
|-
|5
|[[Shehla Rashid]] (ex Vice President, [[Jawaharlal Nehru University|JNU]]) and [[Jignesh Mevani]] ([[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]] [[Vadgam]], Gujarat)
|-
|6
|[[Ravish Kumar]] ([[NDTV]])
|-
|7
|[[Kavita Krishnan]], [[Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)|Politburo]] Member, [[Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation|CPI-ML]] and Secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA).
|-
|8
|[[Ravish Kumar]] ([[NDTV]] Journalist) [Part 2]
|-
|9
|[[Asaduddin Owaisi]], MP and President, [[All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen|All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)]]
|-
|10
|[[Atishi]] ([[Aam Aadmi Party]]) and Shweta Shalini ([[Bharatiya Janata Party]])
|-
|11
|[[Javed Akhtar]] (poet, lyricist, and screenwriter) and [[Yogendra Yadav]] (politician, psephologist, and President of [[Swaraj India]])
|-
|12
|[[Milind Deora]] (ex MP and President of [[Indian National Congress|Congress Mumbai]]) and [[Sachin Pilot]] (Deputy Chief Minister of [[Rajasthan]])
|-
|13
|[[Arvind Kejriwal]] (CM, Delhi)
|-
|14
|[[Javed Akhtar]] (poet, lyricist, and screenwriter) and [[Yogendra Yadav]] (politician, psephologist, and President of [[Swaraj India]]) (Part 2)
|-
|15
|[[Anubhav Sinha]] (Director) and Anand Gandhi
|-
|16
|[[Manish Sisodia]] (Deputy CM, Delhi) and Sanjay Singh (Rajyasabha MP) ([[Aam Aadmi Party]])
|-
|17
|[[Tejasvi Surya]] (MP, Bangalore South)<ref>{{Citation|title=Shut Up Ya Kunal – Episode 17 : Tejasvi Surya|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea4GxJIJUjU|access-date=2020-04-03}}</ref>
|-
|18
|[[Sanjay Raut]] (MP, Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)<ref>{{cite web |title=Shut Up Ya Kunal – Episode 18 : Sanjay Raut |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsIh8hYNGik |access-date=18 November 2020}}</ref>
|}

=== Other Works ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Year
!Genre
!Channel
!Notes
|-
|Canvas Laugh Club{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
|2013
|Comedy
|[[STAR One|YouTube]]
|Live stand-up shows.
|-
|One Mic Stand<ref>https://www.amazon.com/One-Mic-Stand-S1/dp/B081FDPJWD</ref>
|2019
|Comedy
|[[Amazon Prime Video]]
|Mentor to [[Shashi Tharoor]]
|-
|Why Are We Even<ref>{{Citation|title=Why Are We Even – Chapter 5 : Kanhaiya Kumar|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL6dpgBTdc4|language=hi|access-date=2020-08-13}}</ref>
|2020
|[[Philosophy|Art]]
[[Podcast]]
|[[YouTube]]
|Philosophical conversations and creative videos on existential issues. Five episodes till October 2020, on/with [[Rajneesh]], Aamir Aziz, [[Irrfan Khan]], [[Kanhaiya Kumar]], [[Acharya Prashant]], and [[Anand Gandhi]].
|-
|Team Baan: Monday Morning Podcast<ref>{{Citation|title=Team Baan – Episode 1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx6OpgZwmBA|language=hi|access-date=2020-09-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=What is #TeamBaan? Here's all you need to know|url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/viral/what-is-teambaan-heres-all-you-need-to-know|access-date=2020-10-03|website=Free Press Journal}}</ref>
|2020
|[[Podcast]]
|[[YouTube]]
|Weekly political discussions with (the owner of Twitter parody account named) 'ROFL Gandhi'.
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|1555152}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamra, Kunal}}
[[Category:Indian comedians]]
[[Category:1988 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Mumbai]]

Kunal Kamra - Revision history

CleanupBot at 09:50, 30 January 2022