Kiku is all for the freedom of expression. When the AIB Roast controversy broke out he had told me, “I am completely opposed to the FIR. I understand that you do not appreciate my humour, that you find it offensive. But you can’t arrest me for it.”

Funnier than anything funnyman Kiku Sharda has attempted is his arrest for hurting religious sentiments.

Really now. Forget religious sentiments. Kiku wouldn’t hurt a fly. And if your sentiments are so brittle as to get hurt by a stand-up skit then you seriously need to re-examine the dynamics of your dogma.

And honestly, must we pick on laugh providers when brazen hell raisers , people who purposely and mischievously create dissension between people, culture and communities are allowed their hate speeches at the cost of the nation’s equilibrium?

Kiku is a gentle harmless soul who loves his job. A softspoken family man with an ever-ready chuckle on his lips , this is an embarrassment which makes us think about the real Intolerant India that Aamir and Shah Rukh have never seen. The two Khan superstars have had their share of controversies. And God—oops!—knows they’ve hurt enough over-sensitive egos and sentiments. But no one ever thought of arresting them.

Aamir’s PK was seriously offensive to a lot of people , including those who are generally tolerant towards religious humour. Voices were raised, and just as quickly shouted down by the so-called liberal forces which comes out in droves whenever celebrities are attacked/condemned/flayed for offending the moralists .

No one except Kiku’s comic colleague Kapil Sharma has spoken up for Kiku. And even Kapil’s tweet is more an olive branch to the offended party than a defence of an artiste’s right to raise laughter at the risk of offending a few or many.

The entertainment industry is scared to speak up. When sections of outraged moralists took off on the AIB for its ‘roast’ where Karan Johar’s friends got on all fours to make homo-erotic jokes doggie style, even actors who sat in the audience laughing were pulled up. Who knows how far the net of prudery would spread itself when it’s a soft target like Kiku Sharda?

Why was Kiku taken into custody? Because he is not a powerful superstar, that’s why. The right and the wrong is in this country a conflict between the weak and the strong.Whom you end of insulting unintentionally and how much of a penalty you have to pay for it depends entirely on who you are and how much power you exercise.

Talking on his popularity among the young and old alike, Kiku once told me.“Everywhere I go people smile at me, ask me questions about why I do what I do. I am specially happy that so many children like what I do.People smile at me at traffic signal in warm recognition.I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Looks like kissiki nazar lag gayi, Kiku.

Kiku is all for the freedom of expression. When the AIB Roast controversy broke out he had told me, “I am completely opposed to the FIR. I understand that you do not appreciate my humour, that you find it offensive. But you can’t arrest me for it.”

Apparently you can.