Kapil Sharma comedy suggests: Trump, Kim are fair game in India, Modi isn't

Years ago, when the Soviet Union existed, a joke used to poke fun at the authoritarian system prevailing in the country. Two persons, one Russian and another American, were arguing about the freedom of speech prevailing in their countries. The American said, "Anyone can shout slogans against the US president standing in front of the White House, and it's perfectly normal. Nobody would stop him doing it." The Russian replied: "Same in Moscow. You can shout slogans against the US president standing in front of the Kremlin, and you wouldn't be stopped."

I was reminded of this old Soviet-era joke while watching episodes of The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix. In at least two episodes that I watched the other day, comedians Krushna Abhishek and Kiku Sharda appeared as caricatures of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, gleefully mocking both men through political satire. The sketches were funny, clever and widely appreciated by audiences. Yet they also raised an uncomfortable question: was joking about Trump and Kim an easier option for Kapil Sharma because he knew he could never dare to treat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the same way?

The answer appears obvious. No mainstream television channel would willingly air sustained political satire aimed at Modi. Few, if any, major comedians would risk repeatedly caricaturing him in the manner Trump and Kim were caricatured. The issue is not whether Modi should be mocked more than Trump or Kim. The issue is whether India's public sphere allows equal freedom to satirize those who hold power at home.

Kapil Sharma himself has personal experience of the risks involved.

In the early hours of September 9, 2016, in one of the most infamous celebrity social media controversies in India, an angry Kapil Sharma took to Twitter, now X, at around 5 a.m. and directly tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Frustrated over alleged corruption in Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), he also took a swipe at Modi's famous 2014 election slogan of "Achhe Din".

His first tweet read: "I am paying 15 cr income tax from last 5 year n still i have to pay 5 lacs bribe to BMC office for making my office @narendramodi".

A few minutes later he followed it up with: "Yeh hain aapke achhe din? @narendramodi".

What followed was a cautionary tale.

Instead of generating sympathy, the tweets triggered a fierce backlash. The BMC responded by producing records showing that Kapil himself had allegedly violated building regulations. Officials pointed out that a stop-work notice had already been issued and that part of an unauthorized extension on his Andheri property had been demolished a month earlier.

Soon the controversy widened. An RTI activist complained that mangroves near the property had been damaged. An FIR was registered under environmental and planning laws. Political parties across the spectrum demanded that Kapil identify the official who had allegedly sought a bribe. Critics accused him of attempting to pressure civic authorities through public outrage rather than following legal procedures.

The comedian suddenly found himself under intense scrutiny from politicians, bureaucrats, activists, television studios and social media users.

The stress took a heavy toll. Years later, Kapil revealed in a Netflix stand-up special that he immediately escaped to the Maldives, booking a resort with no internet access so that he would not have to watch the storm unfolding around him. According to his own account, he spent eight or nine days there waiting for the controversy to die down, joking later that the getaway cost him around ₹9 lakh — more than his entire education had cost.

Kapil eventually admitted that the tweets had been posted in a moment of late-night frustration and after drinking alcohol. He even joked that social media platforms should place warning labels on certain accounts saying: "Drunk tweet, just ignore him." Over time he cleared the legal hurdles, reduced his political commentary and largely withdrew from commenting on politics altogether.

Seen in this context, I found the Trump-Kim sketches on Netflix particularly interesting.

In Season 2, Episode 8 of The Great Indian Kapil Show, first aired on Netflix on November 9, 2024,  guests included Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, author-philanthropist Sudha Murty, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal and his wife Gia Goyal.

During the comedy segment, Krushna Abhishek appeared as "Doland Drunk", a parody of Donald Trump complete with an oversized blue suit, red tie and exaggerated blond hairstyle. Kiku Sharda appeared as "Kim Kong", sporting the trademark Mao-style suit and box haircut associated with Kim Jong-un.

The sketch freely mocked global politics and corporate culture. With Deepinder Goyal present, "Trump" joked about Zomato's delivery delays during heavy rains, quipping that even a joke would take five minutes to arrive because of weather-related delays. Much of the humour revolved around the bizarre friendship-rivalry dynamic between the Trump and Kim characters, who danced together to Bollywood songs while exchanging insults.

At one point, when Kapil attempted to intervene during a heated exchange, Kiku's Kim Jong-un character responded with a sharp line about Trump's international conduct: "No, no, he is the one who will start a fight. That's his main job — first he starts a fight, then he forces a compromise." The audience erupted with laughter.

In another episode that I saw, Season 3, Episode 7, aired on August 2, 2025, Krushna and Kiku once again appeared as Trump and Kim. The guests included politician Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra. This time the duo joked about tariffs, ceasefire announcements, diplomatic reversals and Trump's habit of claiming credit for solving crises. In one sketch, Trump offered to become Raghav Chadha's guru and promised to resolve any future disputes with Parineeti Chopra. When Kapil pointed out that the couple was not fighting, Kim interrupted to say that Trump himself would first create the quarrel before solving it. "Yehi iska main kaam hai" — "That's his main job."

The clip went viral. Social media users praised the performance. Some joked that Krushna's Trump was funnier than the real Trump. Others quipped that anyone laughing too loudly should face an additional 20 percent tariff. One user joked that the comedian might be banned from entering America.

The irony, however, remains striking.

Indian comedians today can impersonate Donald Trump, ridicule Kim Jong-un, lampoon Vladimir Putin, mock British prime ministers or poke fun at American politics. International leaders are considered safe subjects. The audience laughs because everyone understands that political satire is supposed to challenge power.

Yet when it comes to India's own most powerful political figure, the atmosphere changes dramatically. The question is not whether comedians support or oppose Modi. The question is whether they feel free enough to subject him to the same relentless parody that Trump receives on American television every night or that Kim receives in comedy sketches around the world.

Kapil Sharma's 2016 experience may help explain why. One critical tweet directed at the Prime Minister produced months of controversy, investigations, legal battles and personal anxiety. Whether all of that was justified or not is a separate debate. What matters is the lesson many public figures likely drew from it.

In the old Soviet joke, Russians could freely criticize the American president while avoiding criticism of their own rulers. The joke worked because everyone understood the contradiction.

When Indian comedians enthusiastically mock Trump and Kim but rarely touch Modi, one cannot help wondering whether that old joke still contains an uncomfortable truth.