Comedian Kunal Kamra is one of the oldest artists in his field, known for courting controversies. He has made numerous scandalous comments, including some on women's rights. But this time, he has taken a stand for them. Kamra recently took to X to mock Pranit More's apology, writing: "Things comedians should stop hiding behind: 1. Storytelling. 2. Crowd Work. 3. Hard Work. 4. Bank Balance. 5. Parents." In another post, he claimed "Pranit More makes Harsh Gujral look like Barack Obama."
What Happened with Pranit More?
During a live show in Gurugram, comedian Pranit More engaged with the crowd. A 23-year-old web developer, Himanshu Jangra, said he went on a date with a woman and paid Rs 370 for a plate of chicken biryani she had. He claimed that since he paid, he deserved a "return" in the form of physical intimacy. He added that he took the woman to a "dark park" and began kissing her, despite "not feeling it." The audience laughed, and More rewarded him with Rs 5,000, sharing the clip on Instagram.
Backlash and Apologies
What More may have posted as a PR move turned into major backlash. Social media users attacked both men—Jangra for lack of consent and More for commending him. Both issued apologies online and deactivated their Instagram accounts. They also face a case registered by the Maharashtra Cyber Police.
Recently, More surfaced again to issue another apology, admitting he deserves the hate. "Hello, the thing is I wanted to say this for a long time, but my Instagram was suspended. You all saw my crowd work, for which I am getting a lot of hate. And I think I probably deserve this hate," he said. "When I was doing crowd work with that guy, he said many derogatory things and everyone laughed. I think this was my biggest mistake. I could have stopped him, but I gave him a platform, and things escalated. I want to apologize to everyone hurt by this. I am cooperating with legal proceedings. I just request you to give me another chance. I will become a better person," he added.
While More faces social media ire, Jangra, who worked at Starvik Design, was terminated, according to an Instagram post by founder Vivek Vishwakarma.
