'I am sorry, but not scared.'
Kiku Sharda has been to hell and back.
On January 13, the comedian was detained by the Haryana police for allegedly hurting the sentiments of 'godman' Gurmeet Ram Rahin Singh's followers.
Back at home in Mumbai, in the company of his supportive wife and two children, Kiku says he is sorry, but undefeated.
"It's not as if I'll stop laughing or stop raising laughter," he says. "I am sorry, but not scared. This incident has not soured my relationship with comedy, but it has made me question my beliefs."
"I have never insulted anyone. The humour in Comedy Nights With Kapil or any of my other comic acts is never crass, vulgar, below-the-belt or offensive."
Kiku pleads innocence about the offended 'godman's reach. "I had no idea how important he was to his followers and the work he did. As usual, I was given a get-up and my lines by the writers. I just went on stage and performed what was given to me. Little did I know it would snowball into such a major controversy."
Though Kiku is thankful to the channel for coming forward with the legal help after his arrest and bail, he feels the channel should have taken preventive measures.
"There was a long gap between the time the show was screend and my arrest. Legal measures could have been taken to avert this situation. Still, I am grateful to the channel for coming forward with all the help possible."
Kiku has received overwhelming support. "The entertainment industry has been very supportive. Rishi Kapoorji, Farah Khanji, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt... they have all spoken up in my defence."
"I had to face the music when they whisked me away that night. Though I was treated well in Haryana, technically I was in jail with no access to my family. They were worried sick because they didn't know what was going on. My phone was inaccessible. I was accompanied to Haryana by my younger brother and my colleague Chandan Prabhakar from Comedy Nights."
At the police station, Kiku was stunned when he saw the number of the 'godman's followers. "There were around 800 people there, restless, aggressive... anything could've happened."
"That's when the full impact of the trouble that I was in hit me. I have to thank the Haryana police for protecting me from any harm. They escorted me inside (the police station), made sure I was not harmed."
"I have always been a non-controversial entertainer," adds Kiku. "I don't know how or why this happened. No one has the right to hurt anyone's religious sentiments. Everyone is entitled to be offended. We've had Manoj Kumarsaab taking offence to the way he thought he was portrayed in Farahji's film. But the matter was handled through proper legal recourse and sorted out."
"Why was I whisked away in the middle of the night?" he asks.
The talented comedian has also received support from the Cinema and Television Artistes Association, CINTAA.
"I got a call from their chairperson Amit Bahl. We need to chalk out legal safety measures for all of us (comic actors). How do we know that when we are raising laughter, we won't offend someone in some part of the world? I don't want any of my colleagues to go through what I've gone through."
