Hansal Mehta lauds ‘brave’ Kunal Kamra over decision to not apologise for Shinde remark, calls Indians ‘hyper sensitive’ | Bollywood-OxBig News Network

Hansal stands by Kunal’s decision to not apologise

When asked about his opinion on Kunal Kamra denying an apology, Hansal said, “It’s very brave of him to say so. Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina were forced to capitulate after the former’s inappropriate remark on India’s Got Latent, but Kunal Kamra has held his ground even after all the outrage, and that is quite brave.”

Hansal thinks Indians ‘lack the ability to laugh at ourselves’

Hansal was also asked about stand-up comedians being “harassed down the years” and if it is because “we lack a sense of humour”. He said, “We lack the ability to laugh at ourselves; it doesn’t come naturally to us. The other day, I was watching this video of, I think it was the Golden Globes, and this person was saying some really mean things about Hollywood greats like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Clint Eastwood, who were all in the audience and laughing. Culturally, we are not as sporting, we are hyper sensitive.”

What is the row about

After his remark on Eknath Shinde led to a controversy, Kunal shared a post on Instagram in which he said he won’t “apologise”, adding that he doesn’t “fear this mob & I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down”.

Hansal has been supporting Kunal Kamra

Hansal had earlier too defended Kunal, saying no matter how deep the disagreement and how sharp the provocation, violence, intimidation, and humiliation are not justified. In a series of X posts, the director recalled his ordeal with the Shiv Sena around 25 years ago when the workers of the then-undivided political party vandalised his office.

“What happened with Kamra is, sadly, not new to Maharashtra. I’ve lived through it myself… They vandalised it, physically assaulted me, blackened my face, and forced me to apologise publicly by falling at the feet of an elderly woman for a single line of dialogue in my film,” a part of his note read. He referred to his 1997 film Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, which was cleared by the Censor Board with 27 other cuts.