Mumbai, Oct 15: Stand-up comedians Harsh Gujral and Madhur Virali have been summoned by Maharashtra Cyber Cell over the alleged use of vulgar and objectionable remarks in their comedy acts.
The comedians will have to appear before the Maharashtra Cyber Cell for questioning on October 19. Maharashtra Cyber has initiated an investigation after receiving a complaint from a woman, the official said.
Harsh Gujral is an Indian stand-up comedian and entertainer known for his observational humour, spontaneous audience interactions and energetic stage presence. Originally from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, he built his popularity through live comedy shows and viral clips on YouTube, where his conversational style and quick comebacks struck a chord with audiences.
Madhur Virli is an Indian stand-up comedian and IIT Delhi alumnus known for his dark humour, sharp storytelling and willingness to explore uncomfortable subjects. He gained recognition through comedy sets such as The IIT Dream, drawing on student life, relationships, personal setbacks and everyday experiences.
This action against the comedians follows a broader, multi-year crackdown by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell targeting objectionable content by digital creators. The first big crackdown started following heavy backlash and legal scrutiny over controversial remarks on Samay Raina's show ‘India's Got Latent’ in February 2025. At the time, Harsh Gujral proactively deleted all episodes of his own dark-humor show, ‘The Escape Room’, from YouTube.
In June 2026, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell filed FIRs against other creators, including stand-up comedian Pranit More, for disseminating obscene content through social media platforms.
In August 2026, the crackdown on Samay Raina did a backflip as several online creators including Samay Raina participated in an official Maharashtra Cyber awareness event aimed at curbing online scams. Following the event, Samay Raina went on to bag a Netflix release for the 2nd season of his show ‘India's Got Latent’ as it returned in a bigger, sanitized form.
Talking about Harsh Gujral, he often draws on everyday Indian experiences, family dynamics, relationships, regional stereotypes and cultural quirks. He combines storytelling with improvisation to create an interactive comedy experience. His signature show, ‘Jo Bolta Hai, Wohi Hota Hai’, helped establish him as a prominent name in India’s stand-up circuit. In recent years, he has expanded beyond comedy into mainstream entertainment, appearing on reality television shows such as ‘The Traitors’ and ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 15’. He has described reality television as an opportunity for viewers to understand his personality beyond his stage persona.
--IANS