'The Ire Was Aimed At Kunal Kamra'

'Habitat was viewed as the proxy for him and got unjustly targeted.'

Hotel UniContinental in Khar, north west Mumbai, was in the news for all the unlikely reasons this week.

The Habitat Comedy Club on its premises is where stand-up comedians, singers and others regale audiences. Habitat has three studios at the Hotel Unicontinental.

A few weeks ago, the controversy over Ranveer Allahbadia's comments on India's Got Latent which was shot at Habitat led to it being shut down briefly.

And on March 23, Shiv Sena workers entered the hotel while comedians were performing on stage and told them to leave along with the audience.

The mob then went on a rampage, destroying furniture and infrastructure, videos of which were posted on social media.

The reason for their anger: It was where stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's show with the jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was filmed.

While Hotel UniContinental is managed by OYO, Habitat, the centre of this controversy, is managed by Balraj Singh Ghai, son of Paramjit Singh Ghai, proprietor of the UniContinental.

Paramjit Singh Ghai told A Ganesh Nadar, "We have an excellent rapport with the Shiv Sena. The ire was aimed at Kunal Kamra and Habitat was viewed as the proxy for him and got unjustly targeted."

What happened with the Kunal Kamra show?

Kunal Kamra recorded a political satire at the Habitat around January and released it on his Youtube channel on March 23, 2025.

The deputy CM took offence as the insinuation was allegedly aimed towards him though his name was not mentioned.

What happened with the India Got Latent show?

The show has had over 13 episodes released over last eight months.

Each episode attracted over 3 crore (30 million) views.

It soon became the largest show in India on Youtube.

Samay Raina created the show.

It is a brilliant show which gave a platform to ordinary citizens to showcase their hidden or latent talents for 99 seconds.

Anyone could win because one needn't be perfect or superlative.

For example if the contestant rates himself say only 3 out of 10 points and the judges also gave the same score, then contestants would win the prize money which is the ticket collection of the day.

In February, Ranvir Allahbadia's remarks about parents and sex on the India's Got Latent show kicked up a political storm with many calling for a ban on the podcast.

Comedian Samay Raina expressed regret over a series of remarks that were made on his now-deleted show India's Got Latent, and promised to be more careful in ensuring that such incidents are not repeated.

Multiple FIRs were filed against Allahbadia, Raina and others linked to the show. They were also summoned by the National Commission for Women.

The Supreme Court gave relief to Allahabadia from further FIRs and from being arrested.

Allahbadia has apologised twice for his remarks and Raina -- who deleted his show -- earlier this month rescheduled his India comedy tour in the aftermath.

In a statement to the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, Raina, who got into trouble over Allahbadia's remarks, 'admitted his mistake' and 'apologised for whatever happened during the show'.

We believe that a minister in the present Maharashtra government is a close friend of yours and attends your flag-hoisting both on Independence Day and Republic Day for many years.

The Unicontinental has always had good relations with the MLA and corporator of this area.

IMAGE: Paramjit Singh Ghai.

How come the Yuva Sena doesn't know about your friendship and vandalised your studio?

The Shiv Sena felt slighted at the insult of its chief and got carried away, and then a mob attacked the club.

Several Shiv Sena youth took umbrage and came to Habitat, went on a rampage, vandalised it and destroyed the furniture and fixtures.

In the past has the Yuva Sena approached you for donations for Ganesh Chaturthi or any other festival?

The UniContinental always supports the locals in celebrating festivals and jayantis.

Is there any enmity, known or unknown, between you and the Yuva Sena?

The Shiv Sena has an exceptional rapport with our hotel.

The ire was aimed at Kunal Kamra and Habitat was viewed as the proxy for him and got unjustly targeted.

Is this the action of a vindictive government?

We do not believe that the government is vindictive.

It's a joke that has hurt the sentiments of their leader and Habitat has apologised for it.

Habitat's structures are illegal constructions, claims the municipal corporation. What is the truth?

Our property and hotels are in existence from 1955.

How long have you been in the hospitality sector?

Since 1971, for 54 years.

Why did you start Habitat?

My son Balraj Singh Ghai came up with the vision of creating a platform to encourage talent and creativity among the youngsters.

And he thus created Habitat and gave them wings to discover their hidden talents and pursue their passions and achieve their goals in life.

We believe it is a most 'happening' spot in the suburbs.

Habitat is the numero uno space in India for culture and a comedy club.

After the India's Got Latent controversy, you had to shut Habitat. How long did it take to reopen?

Habitat was back with a bang about 10 days after the India's Got Latent show.

How long will it take this time?

Habitat will be back soon.

How are you going to ensure that such incidents do not occur again?

Habitat will place the onus of content on the performers.

The performers will be responsible for whatever they say.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com