Comedian Kunal Kamra has received a second summons from the Mumbai Police over his satirical remarks on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The summons came on Wednesday, a day after Kamra had requested additional time to appear before the police. In response, the comedian doubled down on his criticism, releasing another satirical song targeting Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The video, a parody of the song Hawa Hawai&nbsp;from the 1987 Bollywood film Mr India, was originally recorded at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai last month and uploaded on YouTube on Sunday. Kamra reposted the song on Wednesday with popcorn emojis, which was widely interpreted as a dig at the controversy over the GST rates on popcorn in movie theatres.
In his act, Kamra mocked the government&rsquo;s handling of infrastructure, referencing potholes, Metro construction delays, and bridge collapses. He also criticized the tax structure, arguing that corporate employees pay higher taxes than the corporations themselves. Referring to Sitharaman as &ldquo;sariwaali didi&rdquo;&nbsp;and &ldquo;Nirmala tai,&rdquo;&nbsp;he sharpened his satire on the Finance Minister&rsquo;s policies.
Rewind: What started all this? 
The Mumbai Police first summoned Kamra after Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel filed a case against him over another satirical song based on Bholi Si Surat&nbsp;from the 1997 film Dil To Pagal Hai. The song, without naming Shinde, included a reference to &ldquo;gaddar&rdquo;&nbsp;(traitor), widely perceived as a jab at Shinde&rsquo;s 2022 defection from Uddhav Thackeray&rsquo;s Shiv Sena to join the BJP, which led to the fall of the Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.
Kamra was initially summoned on Tuesday but sought a week&rsquo;s extension, which was denied. The police issued a fresh summons on Wednesday, directing him to appear for questioning.
Following the first summons, Kamra had posted another satirical video on Tuesday, overlaying footage of Shiv Sena workers vandalizing the Habitat Comedy Club with a parody of Hum Honge Kamyaab&nbsp;(We Shall Overcome), altering the lyrics to Hum Honge Kangaal&nbsp;(We Will Be Bankrupt).
The second post included a clip of Shiv Sena Yuva Sena General Secretary Rahool Kanal, who was among 12 Sena members arrested for ransacking the venue. Kanal had told the media, &ldquo;This was just a trailer, the full picture is yet to come.&rdquo;
T-Series&nbsp;Enters the Fray
In a separate development, T-Series issued a copyright infringement notice against Kamra for using Bholi Si Surat Aankhon Masti&nbsp;in his satire. Kamra responded on X, calling it an attack on parody and satire.
&ldquo;Hello @TSeries, stop being a stooge. Parody &amp; satire come under fair use legally. I haven&rsquo;t used the lyrics or original instrumental of the song. If you take this video down, every cover song/dance video can be removed too,&rdquo;&nbsp;he posted. &ldquo;Having said that, every monopoly in India is nothing short of a mafia, so please watch/download this special before it&rsquo;s taken down.&rdquo;
Politics in play
Hitting back at Kamra and the Thackeray-led faction, Shinde claimed the electoral victory of his alliance with the BJP and Ajit Pawar&rsquo;s faction proved who the real &ldquo;traitor&rdquo;&nbsp;was.
Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, Shinde said, &ldquo;You keep calling me &lsquo;gaddar, gaddar,&rsquo;&nbsp;but soon you will have to close the &lsquo;daar&rsquo; (door in Marathi) of your party.&rdquo;
Actor Kangana Ranaut also reacted, accusing Kamra of defaming leaders under the guise of comedy. &ldquo;The person in power has his honour. You are defaming him in the name of comedy. You are insulting him. Shinde ji used to drive a rickshaw once upon a time. Today, he has come so far on his own,&rdquo;&nbsp;she said.
As legal and political tensions around Kamra&rsquo;s comedy continue to rise, the comedian remains defiant, using his platform to challenge both political and corporate power structures.

Now, T-Series has also issued a copyright infringement notice against Kamra

Comedian escalates satire with parody song on GST rates, ‘Nirmala tai’

Facing 2nd Summons, Kamra Takes Dig at Fin Min

Comedian escalates satire with parody song on GST rates, ‘Nirmala tai’

March 26, 2025 | 22:39 IST