Hyderabad, Dec. 19: Days after comedians Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamara’s shows in Bengaluru were cancelled reportedly based on a complaint lodged by a right-wing group, Hindu Janajagruti, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao said that Hyderabad is “truly cosmopolitan” and offers stand-up comedians an “open invite”.
While speaking at the inauguration of insurance and financial company Mass Mutual’s Hyderabad office, he said: “We don’t cancel shows of Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra just because we are not aligned with them politically.”
Taking a jab at Bengaluru by saying that it is not a “true” metropolitan city, he further said, “I am just saying that to people listening from Bengaluru or those people who are from Bengaluru, you claim to be a cosmopolitan city, and then you end up taking comedy very seriously. We (Hyderabad) are a truly cosmopolitan city that is welcoming of all cultures, welcoming of criticism. You can come here, criticise the government… in fact, we receive a lot of brickbats from our opposition every day. We are very tolerant.”
Besides Bengaluru, Gurgaon Comedy Fest too had dropped Faruqui, with the organisers claiming they do not want to put the public in danger.
Next Story :
Now you can get latest stories from Hydnow everyday. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Hydnow Facebook page and Twitter and on Instagram