Hansal Mehta Condemns Intimidation Of Kunal Kamra, Recalls Own Ordeal

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NEW DELHI (ANI) – Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has voiced strong support for comedian Kunal Kamra, who is facing backlash over a joke about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Kamra’s performance venue in Mumbai was vandalized, an act Mehta condemned while recalling his own experience of political intimidation 25 years ago.

Mehta, known for films like Shahid, Citylights, and the hit series Scam 1992, shared how members of the Shiv Sena stormed his office, assaulted him, and forced him to publicly apologize over a single line of dialogue in his film.

“What happened with Kamra is, sadly, not new to Maharashtra. I’ve lived through it myself,” Mehta wrote on social media. “Twenty-five years ago, loyalists of the same (then undivided) political party stormed into my office. They vandalized it, physically assaulted me, blackened my face, and forced me to apologize publicly—by falling at the feet of an elderly woman—for a single line of dialogue in my film.”

The filmmaker further said that at least 20 political figures attended the so-called apology event, ensuring his public humiliation while the Mumbai Police stood by without intervening. “The line was harmless, almost trivial. The film had already been cleared by the Censor Board with 27 other cuts. But that didn’t matter,” he stated.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Mehta spoke about how the incident left a lasting impact on his career and personal expression. “That incident didn’t just bruise my body. It bruised my spirit. It blunted my filmmaking, muted my courage, and silenced parts of me that took years to reclaim,” he wrote, emphasizing that “violence, intimidation, and humiliation can never be justified.”

Meanwhile, Kamra has remained defiant, stating on social media that he will not apologize for his act.