- Friday, January 24, 2025
Several X users, including singer Chinmayi Sripaada, criticised Sharma’s remarks as “crass and racist”
By: India Weekly
STAND-UP comedian Kapil Sharma has defended himself after facing criticism for allegedly making ‘racist’ remarks about filmmaker Atlee’s appearance during a recent episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show.
Sharma, on Tuesday, urged people not to spread hate on social media and denied commenting on Atlee’s complexion in the now-viral video.
Several X users, including singer Chinmayi Sripaada, criticised Sharma’s remarks as “crass and racist.” Atlee had appeared on Saturday’s episode of the Netflix show to promote his upcoming production “Baby John”, starring Varun Dhawan.
In a video clip circulating on social media, Sharma asked Atlee, “You’re so young, and you have become such a big producer-director. Has it ever happened that you went to meet a star and they didn’t realize you are Atlee, do they ask, ‘Where is Atlee?’”
Responding to Sharma, Atlee, known for films such as “Theri”, “Bigil”, and “Jawan”, said that people should not judge others by their appearance.
“I think the world should see that. We should not judge by appearance. You have to judge by your heart,” Atlee remarked, adding that filmmaker AR Murugadoss gave him his first opportunity based on his narration, not his looks.
On Tuesday, Sharma addressed the controversy directly on X. Replying to a post, he wrote: “Dear sir, can you pls explain me where n when I talked about looks in this video? pls don’t spread hate on social media thank you. (guys watch n decide by yourself, don’t follow anybody’s tweet like a sheep).”
Social media reactions to the episode remain divided. While many praised Atlee for his response, others called out Sharma for allegedly crossing a line.
Chinmayi Sripaada wrote, “Will they never stop these crass and racist jibes at his skin color in the name of ‘comedy’?”
Another user criticised Sharma’s brand of humour, suggesting the show would “collapse” without body-shaming and racist comments.
