Aditi Mittal, Kaneez Surka, AIB Condemn Utsav Chakraborty

Bigwigs of the comedy circuit, like Aditi Mittal, Kaneez Surka & AIB have condemned Utsav Chakraborty’s behavior.

Comedian and YouTube personality Utsav Chakraborty has been accused of sending sexually explicit messages to women, including minor girls.

In a Twitter thread, a writer-comedian shared several accounts of women who claimed to have received unsolicited explicit messages from Chakraborty. He is also a regular fixture on AIB’s sketches.

After the first tweet, several women started sharing their #MeToo stories. Multiple women, some anonymous and some not, messaged stories of how Chakraborty “slid into their DMs” and asked them to ‘send nudes’.

The comedy community seems united at this point. They have extended messages of support to the women.

Rohan Desai said that he feels guilty for not having taken the right action when he should have:

A friend told me how Utsav had sent a ‘dick pic’ to one of the complainants. I spoke to Utsav about it and he said it is a ‘misunderstanding and that she was fine with it’. He laughed about it and I also left it at that. I feel that I should’ve looked into it more and believed the woman. When my friend was in question, I overlooked the woman’s version completely. 

Rohan Desai, Comedian to The Quint

Comedian Shreemayee Das spoke to The Quint about the toxic ‘bro culture’ prevalent in the Indian comedy circuit.

I’ve known him for a while. I hope that he admits to it, apologises. He is obviously in the wrong and how I wish we knew about this earlier so that we would’ve been more vigilant. There is a “bro culture” in the Indian comedy circuit, there is no denying that. I don’t think I could have ever done stand-up comedy if I had not already been dating a comic at that point. I was dating somebody who had been in the circuit for over 5 years. So, I knew a bunch of his friends as well. And I know that I could not have done comedy as a woman had it not been for that. 

Shreemayee Das, Comedian to The Quint

Several other comedians took to Twitter to condemn Chakraborty’s obscene behavior.

#TimesUp

Listen to Them

This is awful. We have to do better and listen, learn and improve. This is so dispiriting to read that I can’t imagine how degrading it must have been to receive. https://t.co/IaiPLd2iWo

— Kautuk Srivastava (@Cowtuk) October 4, 2018

We as a scene, specifically the men here, need to reexamine everything right now. I myself am guilty of being part of a culture where we haven't listened to the women. And this is the wake up call we need.
We are listening.
And we believe you.

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 4, 2018

AIB’s Two Statements

Statement pic.twitter.com/eLpthXifwf

— All India Bakchod (@AllIndiaBakchod) October 4, 2018

Mumbai Police, meanwhile, has taken cognisance of the matter and promised to act promptly.