Stand-up comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi’s 3 PM and 7 PM shows in Lucknow have been cancelled because of law and order issues. The move comes after Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission vice-chairperson Aparna Yadav wrote to DGP Prashant Kumar, requesting that authorities either ensure the shows do not ‘malign women’ or cancel them altogether.
Referring to security issues regarding possible ‘objectionable content’, ACP Radha Raman Singh said that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) was not issued. “There may be protest against him from groups or a major section of people in the city, giving rise to a law and order problem. Even the local intelligence unit did not give him the go-ahead,” he clarified.
The ACP also explained that the recent drama between podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia was a contributing factor. Allahbadia became universally condemned for his tasteless comments during a YouTube program, ‘India’s Got Latent’, and this contributed to increased sensitivity towards public performances.
Aparna Yadav in her Feb 14 letter expressed dismay at language used on earlier shows, stating, “We have seen the use of objectionable words during previous shows, and it’s our responsibility to maintain decorum at public events.” She also gave credit to veteran comedians like the late Raju Srivastava and Kapil Sharma for maintaining some degree of decency while doing comedy. “You don’t need to swear while telling jokes to be funny,” she said.
Bassi is 32, originally from Meerut, with a law degree from Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, Lucknow. He started taking to the comedy circuit in 2017 and went on to garner a gigantic following, thanks to his incredible numbers of YouTube viewers at more than 3.7 million subscribers and over 1.8 million fans on Instagram.
