Maharashtra government takes one in the ribs over AIB's Comedy Roast

Ashoke Pandit, member of the newly-reconstituted Censor Board has sparked a huge controversy with his tweet

A comedy roast is an event where celebrities are subjected to jokes at their own expense. The jokes are targeted by a group of the particular celebrity’s peers, led by a host, typically a colleague. 

“The following video is filthy, rude and offensive you know like...a roast,” is the disclaimer that precedes the video by comedy group All India Bakchod (AIB) that has now been targeted by the moral police. The word ‘bakchod’, typically used as slang, loosely translates to someone whose conversation is mind-numbingly meaningless. 

The AIB Roast, a first of its kind in India, saw nearly 4,000 people in attendance and has received more than seven million views on YouTube. 

The Maharashtra government on Monday, however, ordered an inquiry into AIB’s comedy roast of actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor following a complaint filed by Akhilesh Tiwari, President of Brahman Ekta Seva Sanstha in Mumbai, as well as by the Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum

According to a PTI report, in a four-page complaint at Sakinaka police station, Tiwari said, “I have handed over a letter to Sakinaka police demanding a criminal complaint be lodged against these so-called youth icons Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. The show, which can be seen on YouTube and other websites, was extremely abusive and it is not only ruining the clean image of the Indian culture & women, but is also misleading today's youth." 

 

Three hashtags related to the roast have been trending on Twitter as people took to the platform to express their views- #AIBRoast, AIB National Shame, We Stand by AIB Knockout.

Sparking a huge controversy by calling the AIB roast a porn show, Ashoke Pandit, member of the newly-reconstituted Censor Board, tweeted the following:

Cultural Affairs minister of Maharashtra Vinod Tawde, who had a day before said he would order a departmental inquiry into the alleged vulgarity of the show, tweeted saying, “On #AIBRoast, will only enquire if the AIB had taken appropriate certificate. No moral policing if they r allowed by law, I can't stop them.” 

Reacting to the incident, this is what AIB said: