Mumbai-based stand-up comedian Daniel Fernandes was recently called out for cracking 'jokes' on Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. A compilation of video clips has gone viral, which shows Fernandes speaking about the media furore over Sushant Singh Rajput death and the subsequent treatment his partner Rhea Chakraborty received. The comedian called it a 'witch hunt' in the name of 'Justice for SSR'.
As soon as the video went viral, Twitter was filled with calls for boycotting Fernandes. Many even criticised him for making jokes on a dead person.
After facing backlash, Fernandes took to social media to issue a statement. "My recent stand-up video appears to have offended a lot of fans of the late Sushant Singh Rajput, many of who have pointed out that an apology is in order. And I agree! As a comedian, my intention is to...to make you laugh. But sometimes, in that endeavour I might invoke an unfavourable response. That being said, I would like to address my mistake", Fernandes wrote.
Fernandes explained that he had made a factual error during one of his performances. "Towards the end of this bit, I said that Rhea has been acquitted of her charges. That is factually incorrect. She has been released on bail. For some reason I used the word 'acquitted' by mistake in the Pune show. It is definitely not how I have written and performed it elsewhere. I take that back and apologise to anyone whose feelings may have been hurt".
The stand-up comic also said that one of his jokes from the set had been edited out and he will upload that next week, implying that he stands by everything he said.
Below is the clip that led to the outrage against Fernandes.
The incident has occurred days after another stand-up comedian, Munawar Faruqui, was arrested for allegedly cracking jokes on Hindu deities.
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