No go zones: where comics fear to tread

Stand-up comedians, digital creators and social media influencers are treading with extreme caution.

- Lata Jha

Stand-up comedians, digital creators and social media influencers are treading with extreme caution. The restraint comes after recent controversies involving Kunal Kamra, Ranveer Allahabadia and Samay Raina, apart from Swati Sachdeva, who was called out for a joke involving her mother.

As has been the case with video streaming platforms for some years, talent management agencies and public relations teams have started advising clients to follow informal yet specific mandates to mitigate reputational and legal risks. These include internally screening scripts, videos and public statements for sensitivity to sociopolitical, religious, gender-related, or potentially contentious themes.