Pranit More’s show, where he gave a platform to a man named Himanshu Jangra who told the story of coercing a woman into physical intimacy after he bought a biryani costing Rs 370 for her, has been receiving a lot of backlash in the last few days. Many female content creators and comedians have expressed their disgust at the show, and have also criticised Pranit for actively encouraging the audience member, and later rewarding him with a prize money of Rs 5,000. Now, Vir Das has also shared his opinion on the matter, and while doing so, he also brought up how he was severely criticised when he brought up women’s safety at his ‘Two Indias’ monologue at the Kennedy Center in 2021.

Vir took to his Instagram stories and shared, “Guys. The mainstream media is REALLY concerned about women’s safety. They want you to be concerned too. Unless you mention it on foreign soil, then they’re concerned about you being anti-national. So keep in mind, they expect comedy to call out the threats to women… domestically.”

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Pranit More’s show is being heavily criticised for the way it seemed to encourage crass thoughts that can lead to harassment and assault. The subject of women’s safety has been brought up by many since the clip from the show went viral. Vir, through his Instagram stories, reminded that he brought up the subject of women’s safety in his 2021 show in the US, and at the time, he was severely criticised by the masses and was labelled as ‘anti-national’.

In his 2021 monologue, Vir had said, “I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gangrape them at night.” This was a part of a larger monologue where he compared the extreme nature of events in the country.

After the clip from Pranit More’s show went viral, he issued an apology where he described it as a “lapse of judgment”. Soon after, netizens pointed out that this wasn’t a “lapse” as Pranit had actively encouraged the story of the audience member, rewarded him and later used it as a part of his YouTube show, edited reels from the same, and profited from it online. The man who shared this story was reportedly fired from his job. Amid the controversy, Pranit has now deactivated his Instagram handle.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has summonned both Pranit More and audience member Himanshu Jangra for a hearing on June 22. The Maharashtra Cyber Police has registered an FIR against Pranit, Himanshu, Dr Sejal Pawar, and other persons for allegedly making obscene comments during a stand-up act.