Indian comedians have come under intense scrutiny in recent days. After Pranit More’s crowd-work clips sparked outrage over remarks comparing a woman’s dignity to a Rs 370 chicken biryani, another controversy has surfaced, this time involving comedian Madhur Virli. (Image: Instagram/@madhur_virli_fanpage)
An old video from Virli’s 2024 show Love & Latex has gone viral, drawing criticism for jokes about rape and survivors of sexual violence. Social media users have condemned the set, saying the comments crossed the line between dark humour and insensitivity. (Image: Instagram/@madhur_virli_fanpage)
Madhur Virli is a Delhi-based stand-up comedian known for observational comedy, dark humour, and stories inspired by middle-class life. An IIT Delhi graduate, he initially pursued a conventional career before finding success in comedy. His breakthrough came in 2018 when he won the stand-up category at the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet. Over the years, he gained popularity through live performances, YouTube specials, and social media clips. His set IIT Dream became especially popular among students and young professionals. Virli often spoke about relationships, student life, and mental health, helping him build a strong fan base among urban youth. (Image: Instagram/@madhur_virli_fanpage)
The controversy centres around clips from his 2024 special, where he made remarks about rape and murder. In one segment, he said that out of 10 rape cases, nine involve only rape, while one case might involve rape followed by murder. He then joked that after being raped, a woman might ask the attacker to “cuddle”, which could lead him to stab her. “Now cuddle with knife,” he said, prompting laughter from the audience. (Image: Facebook)
.” The clips resurfaced amid the ongoing debate over sexism and misogyny in comedy and quickly triggered outrage online. (Image: Facebook)
Another user wrote, “This isn’t dark humour, this isn’t edgy comedy, this is just harmful. When ‘jokes’ like these normalise putting down certain groups of people, it does something to society that we don’t even realise in the moment, and the scary part? People are laughing.” (Image: X/@reallydmtgaf)
Following the backlash, Madhur Virli deactivated his Instagram account. So far, he has not issued any statement, apology, or clarification. The controversy, along with the uproar over Pranit More’s viral clips, has reignited conversations around the limits of comedy and whether misogyny and violence should be treated as punchlines. (Image: X/@masoom_ladki101)
