US' loss of humour could Be India's gain

With ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel off air after the talk show host made comments on Monday night about the murder of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, the US may have officially entered its 'cancel comedy' phase, where satire is fine - as long as it's about being woke and DEI, and not about Republicans and orange hair. Donald Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr had reportedly threatened action against Kimmel and Walt Disney-owned ABC after Kimmel's jibe about Kirk's assailant being part of the 'MAGA gang', an insinuation that had been doing the social media rounds before the Monday show. By Wednesday, ABC broadcast affiliate Nexstar pre-empted any FCC move by 'indefinitely suspending' Kimmel's late-night show from their ABC channels.

The US, a country that seemed to be covered with Teflon when it came to barbs, jibes, roasts and comedic insults, now seems to be getting increasingly outraged - this time with overt official sanction. But while the US tiptoes around political sensitivities, does this provide an opportunity for Brand India to showcase itself as a liberal, joke-getting, 'jolly good sport' society? Could the Indian comedy scene, used to incidents of being shut down and venues being trashed by vigilante heavybodies, bloom for a larger national strategic purpose?

Our stand-ups could, in contradistinction to the American scene, roast politicians, dissect caste contradictions and even joke about the economy. Sure, there are social media mobs. But at least authorities in both Centre and states can come across as liberal, while projecting India globally as a fun-loving, humour-cherishing country. This is India's moment to flex its liberal muscles - not just with policy papers but also punchlines.