By Saurabh Yadav
NEW DELHI
A comedy show in India, featuring Bollywood film actors and comedians trading gibes, has been pulled down from the Internet, after criminal complaints were filed.
The video included jokes on current political leaders Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his human resource development minister, Smriti Irani.
"We are also cooperating with the authorities and hope to resume normal service soon," said the All India Bakchod (AIB) comedy group in an ominous message Wednesday.
The 90-minute video, made by the comedy group and uploaded in three parts, generated more than 8 million views within a week.
It shows an event, AIB Roast, that was held in an indoor stadium in Mumbai with Bollywood film director Karan Johar hosting and numerous movie stars among the audience of 4,000 people.
During the show, performers are encouraged to take turns in trading mockeries. The jokes were sometimes crude and also sexually explicit but the video online did show an age warning.
In a detailed message, the AIB comedy collective from Mumbai said that the show had been performed in front of "consenting adults," "with the understanding that none of the material (was) to be taken seriously."
Two complaints of violating religious sentiments have been filed against the show in Mumbai, local press reported.
"If the program was vulgar and in violation of law, then action will be taken against the organizers," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday.
In November 2014, cable channel Comedy Central India was taken off the air for six days for showing women as a "commodity of sex," a ban that was upheld by the Delhi High Court.
Renowned fashion channel "Fashion TV" has also been blocked twice in the past, in 2007 and 2010.
