Pranit More’s clip of his crowd work, where a woman’s dignity is compared to a cheap meal, sparked outrage, went viral, bringing the comedians under scrutiny. Adding to the backlash, comedian Madhur Virli’s set 2024, which contains offensive remarks about serious crimes like rape, has also surfaced online.
The controversy brought Madhur Virli and Pranit More under the scanner
Many social media users believe the backlash is justified, with some saying the outrage isn’t enough. In both clips, viewers laughed at the insensitive remarks about women, suggesting that such attitudes are widely shared. While the videos of More’s crowd work featuring Himanshu Jangra and Dr. Sejal Pawar are newsworthy, Madhur Virli’s controversial set from 2024’s ‘Love & Latex’ has now resurfaced online.
From there IIT Delhi comedy stage: Who is Madhur Virli?
Delhi-based comedian Madhur Virli is known for his dark humor, sharp writing and easy storytelling. His popular set of “IIT Dream” was a hit with both students and professionals. An IIT Delhi graduate, he initially pursued a mainstream career before gaining recognition in 2018 after winning the stand-up category at the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet. Since then, he has performed all over India, posted YouTube specials and built a strong online presence. Its content, often focused on mental health, relationships and student life, reflects its middle-class roots and resonates with inner-city youth.
Crossing the Line clip: What Madhur Virli said on the set of 2024
In a video now circulating online, Madhur drew criticism for making jokes about rape and mocking survivors. During the series, he said that nine out of 10 rape cases are nothing more than rape, while one can turn into murder. After rape, if a woman asks for a “hug”, he suggested that it could lead to more violence, “Now lick it with a knife”, which drew laughter from the audience. He also said: “Rape victims say we would rather die than this. But kabhi bhi kisi laash ne nahin bola ki rape he ho jata [No dead body has ever said that rape might have been better]”, causing another round of laughter.
Rape in India, by the numbers
According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime in India 2021 report, a total of 20,046 cases of rape were recorded in 2020, with an average of around 86 cases reported in the country every day.
Internet reacts to Madhur Virli’s jokes
Madhur chose rape as the theme of her ensemble, which has sparked outrage online, especially amid the ‘Rs 370 Biryani’ controversy. When the old clip was resurfaced, one social media user criticized the act, writing: “If this is the idea of ​​a joke, what exactly are you bringing to the stage? Because it’s not smart, it’s not layered, it’s not remotely smart. You just pick something disturbing, throw it out there and trust that it’s enough to make people laugh. That’s not skill. That is not courage. It’s just that you get a reaction from something you didn’t even earn. And the audience laugh at this? That is the real problem”.Another wrote: “This is not dark humor, this is not honest comedy, this is just harmful. When ‘jokes’ like this are normalized for certain groups of people to suffer, it does something to society that we don’t realize at the time, and what’s scary? People laugh.”
Madhur Virli falls silent as the reaction grows
In the wake of the controversy, Madhur Virli chose silence, deactivating hers Instagram account and completely away from the public eye. No statement was made, no apology was offered and no explanation was given.TRIGGER WARNING: Article contains references to rape and abuse.
