Taking serious cognisance of a fierce public uproar over a video mocking two legendary figures — cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and singer lata Mangeshkar — the Mumbai Police on Monday registered an FIR against the controversial video maker and stand-up comedian Tanmay Bhat and asked YouTube, Facebook and Google to block the video from circulation.
In a day of vociferous protests against the controversial video titled “Sachin vs lata Civil War”, the Shiv Sena shot off letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding the stand-up comedian’s arrest, the BJP asked the Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar to book Tanmay, and NCP’s women activists burnt his effigy.
Hours after the MNS’ Chitrapat Sena president Amey Khopkar lodged complaint with the Shivaji Park police and threatened to respond to Bhat in “Manse style” (roughing of the man) if no action was taken against the latter, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Cyber Cell chief Yeshwant Phatak said that he has taken up the matter with YouTube, Facebook and Google to take off the controversial video of their sites. “We are also tracking the IP address from which the video has been uploaded,” Phatak said.
The two-minute video, which was posted on Snapchat and Facebook on May 26, is an imagined conversation between lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar.
In the video, the renowned singer and master blaster — both enacted by Bhat using Snapchat’s face-swap feature — argue as to who is the better cricketer between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. During the conversation, Sachin and Mangeshkar exchange personal barbs at each other.
Bhat had posted this video with a disclaimer “I make such nonsense on my Snapchat”. The video has since gone viral on social media and evoked wide spread protests from political parties and prominent Bollywood personalities.
Senior actor Anupam Kher, who was among the first personalities to react on the social media, had tweeted on Sunday: “I am 9 times winner of #BestComicActor. Have a great sense of humor. But This’s NOT humor. #Disgusting & Disrespectful”.
“Happened to watch a part of a desperate and shameful attempt to be funny by a wannabe comedian on @sachin_rt ji and @mangeshkarlata ji,” Yuva Sena chief Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya Thackeray tweeted.
Actor Riteish Deshmukh tweeted, “Am absolutely shocked. Disrespect is not cool and neither is it funny”.
“After my complaint, the police chief has handed over the case to cyber cell. The cyber police are in the process of initiating stern measures against the offender,” said Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar.
“Targetting national icons and insulting them cannot be tolerated. The police should act swiftly against the offender concerned,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
Unfazed by the flak, Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) tweeted on Monday, “lOl, Twitter, jaha pe logo ke marne se pehle unke marne ki khabar trend hoti hai “tastleless” aur “crass” jaise words use kar rahi hai”.
This is not the first time that Bhat and AIB, of which he is the co-founder, have run into trouble. An FIR was registered against 14 persons, including Bhat, filmmaker Karan Johar, actors Ranvir Singh and Arjun Kapoor for allegedly putting up a pre-scripted “vulgar and obscene” public performance at the AIB roast show held at held at NSCI’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel indoor stadium on January 20, 2015.