Raza Murad: I don’t want Vir Das to be banned, but legal action must be taken against him – Exclusive! – Times of India

Vir Das has suddenly found himself in the middle of a raging controversy. The actor-comedian had shared a video depicting two distinct sides of India, one where he was reportedly quoted stating a line about, women being raped in India at night, which has drawn severe criticism from many quarters in the country. Earlier today, ETimes brought you critical reactions from filmmaker Ashoke Pandit and FWICE President BN Tiwari to Das’ video. We also reached out to senior actor Raza Murad who also expressed his disappointment at Das’ choice of words.

Raza Murad was critical of Das’ decision of mocking India through his satire. Murad said, “It is a highly irresponsible statement. You are an Indian, you go abroad to make people laugh at the cost of your country and at our people’s expense. You make fun of us and people identify you as an Indian. If you will speak in that manner, if you don’t respect your country and people, who else will?”. While BN Tiwari and Ashoke Pandit suggested that Das be banned and tried in court respectively, Murad offered a more balanced corrective action. He said, “I don’t want him to be banned. I am no one to take away anyone’s livelihood but there is always a legal recourse one can take”.

While Murad suggested that strict legal action can be taken against Das, he also said that offering a public apology cannot be a solution for such situations. Vir Das had issued a statement earlier in the day, apologising for offending the country and explaining that he did not intend to demean India and its culture. But Murad wasn’t convinced and added, “Apologising is an easy way out and it is like you kill someone and then apologise for it. It does not happen that way”.