It just so happens that when somebody cracks a joke, they are told to “grow up” even though we all know that being hysterical does not correspond to immaturity. But, leave to a desperate band of stand-up comedians to shatter that mental impression. Recently, a harmless (and somewhat tasteless) joke sparked an online debate between Indian filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and comedians Abhishek Upmanyu and Tanmay Bhat with Aditi Mittal in tow.
It all started when Upmanyu quipped, “I want this plane to crash just so that the kids who are making noise die.” While the joke wasn’t exactly offensive, it isn’t exactly irrational to think that the joke is a controversial one. Upmanyu’s tweet did not seem to sit well with Agnihotri, who responded by saying, “Pathetic state of Indian Stand up Comedy scene. Not one but almost all.”
What followed next was a series of tweets lacking any and all maturity and reason. Responding to Agnihotri’s statement by criticising his 2012 film Hate Story, Upmanyu tweeted saying, “Uncle bura maan gaye. Tweet toh free mein padhte hain sir, “Hate story” ke toh paise lag gaye the. Socho kitna bura laga hoga.” A classic case of comeback deficiency on Upmanyu’s end; make a personal comment about the other person’s age. So elegant and hilarious!
Still not working. Try to crack a gold joke instead of struggling to be funny. https://t.co/bO8Z08dZEO
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 23, 2017
I am so sad that Vivek Agnihotri, the director of”Hate Story” doesn’t find me funny. All i wanted was to make HIM laugh 🙁 https://t.co/BnahBc0kVz
— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) June 23, 2017
Then began an utterly futile exchange where the Indian stand-up comedians Tanmay Bhat and Aditi Mittal their two cents’ worth.
A plane crash for a plane full of conservative Uncles.
— Aditi (@awryaditi) June 23, 2017
*maximum cringe*
What was that? Was that supposed to be funny? Mittal wasn’t the only one who was feeling a bit witless today. Allow All India Bakchod’s Tanmay Bhat to supersede her as the dumbest one in the lot as he continued to unleash a barrage of tweets that seem to be countering Agnihotri’s statements but, nobody knows what they’re really about.
Comedy is the number one genre On YT. https://t.co/eQ7n5xbOB3
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
Fastest growing creators include 4 stand up comedians.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
Comedy is legit an alternative evening options with over 10 fold growth in ticket sales year after year.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
If you really don’t like Indian stand up – just don’t watch it. Nothing hurts a performer like Lack Of views or Lack Of Money.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
Agnihotri, now fighting three-on-one, did not back down:
This is the funniest thing they say in defence of their pathetic jokes which only their fart of a dad can laugh on. https://t.co/iMYZSiHer8
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 23, 2017
I want Indian comedy to be best in the world but can’t happen with jokes and jokers like these in this thread. https://t.co/wgOuZwYoMX
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 23, 2017
It’s always fun to go for a good comedy. My top choice ever but not the kind of comedy where comedians are funnier than their jokes. https://t.co/pdWktY0AqR
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 23, 2017
That’s the lamest excuse. It’s like a bad product saying ‘don’t use me if don’t like’ instead of improving and delighting customers. https://t.co/qTlS80mpfJ
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 23, 2017
Others including Sapan Verma also joined in, standing against the Hate Story director:
I didn’t like one film from one director so now I’ve decided that the entire film industry sucks. https://t.co/HO73IFS99d
— Sapan Verma (@sapanv) June 23, 2017
And then it was just downright ugly with Bhat resorting to namecalling, deeming it a “RW vs comedians debate”. Mittal too retweeted a tweet which seemingly called Agnihotri an “idiot sanghi”:
Speaking of improving and delighting customers when are you retiring from filmmaking? https://t.co/jj5lSS3pZJ
— Aditi (@awryaditi) June 23, 2017
I also wanted the Indian Film industry to be the best in the world, but you didn’t help either. https://t.co/GfXOUg4NDH
— Abhishek Upmanyu (@AbhiUpmanyu) June 23, 2017
That’s ironic coz you’re a part of this thread now… https://t.co/wh4YkiRG2V
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
Fact is – the most popular comics are considered Liberals. Aur unke bare mein tweet maro toh RW kuch Bhi RT hoga.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
Funny you say that given @AbhiUpmanyu is the fastest growing comedy channel. Toh he’s delighting enough I think. https://t.co/fj4AT04SHN
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
It’s not about the comedy. It rarely is. It is a RW vs comedians debate. Jaha RT dekhne pe self congratulatory messages bat-te hai bas.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) June 23, 2017
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