A day after taking down the video of AIB Knockout, a comedy show featuring filmmaker Karan Johar and actors Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh that sparked a controversy for obscene language and content, the team behind the show issued a statement saying they never wrote to hurt people.
In a two-and-a-half page statement, filled with humour and satire, the team of All India Bakchod (AIB) clarified that no person or force had forced them to take the video down. “Under the circumstances, this is us being pragmatic,” it said.
“Let’s just all take a deep breath. They’re just jokes. Unfunny, crass or whatever you want to call them, they’re still just jokes,” said the statement, which was posted on the Twitter and the Facebook accounts of the AIB. The video had received eight million views on YouTube.
“AIB Knockout was another such attempt to try something new and bring the roast format to a country where celebrities aren’t often known to laugh at themselves,” it added.
The team stated that it wanted to push the envelope of comedy in this country. “But then the envelope pushed back,” the team said.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had demanded an apology from the AIB team and other participants. Censor Board member Ashoke Pandit too came down heavily against the show.
Police seek explanation
The Mumbai Police have sought an explanation from the AIB for the alleged discrepancies in the script. “The script on which licence was obtained seems different from the one which was used while performing. We expect to get their reply soon,” a senior police officer said.
“There’s a larger cultural conversation going on here, where we’re at the very edges of what it’s okay to say. And it’s a conversation we need to have now because the world we live in is entirely too complicated to be run by silences. We still stand by our belief in the right to absolute freedom of expression for us and for anyone who has anything to say about anything at all,” the AIB team said.
Taking a dig at all the complaints filed against them, the team said it was cooperating with the authorities and hope to resume normal service soon.
“We’d like some sort of cheerful resolution to this so we can focus on more important national issues, like the upcoming Cricket World Cup,” it said.
