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Over the past few weeks, two aspects of the entertainment industry have consistently remained in the spotlight. One is the growing conversation around star tantrums, soaring fees, and mounting demands. The other is the rising scrutiny of comedians and their content. Several stand-up comics have made headlines for controversial jokes and viral clips, often culminating in public apologies. Among those who sparked the most debate was comedian Samay Raina, whose YouTube show received severe backlash for what many viewers described as “vulgar” humour.
The controversy prompted reactions from several well-known personalities across the industry. While some came out in support of creative freedom and modern humour, others voiced strong opposition to the increasing use of crude language in comedy.
One of the most vocal critics of such content has been veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. Known for penning films like Sholay, Deewar, and Zanjeer, and for writing thousands of celebrated songs, Akhtar recently remarked that the excessive use of cuss words often compensates for a lack of substance in content.
Speaking at an event, he said, “If the conversation is bland, you will put some abusive language in it. Just to give it energy.”
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Elaborating further, he explained, “In Orissa, Bihar, and Mexico—anywhere in the world where there is poverty—people eat a lot of chilli because the food is bland. So just to get some taste, they eat chilli. Abusive language is the chilli of language. If you can speak good language and if you are witty enough, you don’t need this chilli.”
Now, popular stand-up comedian Zakir Khan has responded to Javed Akhtar’s remarks at the latest edition of Express Adda, hosted by The Indian Express.
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Zakir said, “I respect Javed Akhtar a lot. I love his work. As an artiste, we often admire other artistes who evolve with time. He reads a lot. For the kind of language and culture he represents as a writer, his comment on comedians is valid.”
However, the stand-up comedian also offered a nuanced perspective, adding, “But it doesn’t mean people have to mandatorily apply it. If someone has cuss words in their language, you can’t stop that. As people grow, they do learn and refrain from certain things. But you can’t be pointing a finger at someone.”
