Kapil Sharma has come under fire recently for a comment made during his show The Great Indian Kapil Show, which some viewers have interpreted as racist towards filmmaker Atlee. The incident took place when Atlee appeared on the show alongside the cast of his upcoming film Baby John, including actors Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, and Wamiqa Gabbi.
In a segment of the show, Kapil asked Atlee, “When you get to meet a star for the first time, do they ask, where is Atlee?” Atlee responded thoughtfully, sharing his gratitude for director AR Murugadoss, who produced his first film without judging his appearance but instead based on the strength of his narration. He emphasized, “We should not judge by appearance. You have to judge by your heart.”
However, Kapil’s question did not sit well with many viewers, who found it to be insensitive and racially charged. Social media quickly erupted with criticism, accusing Kapil of making a joke that reinforced harmful stereotypes about appearance.
In response to the backlash, Kapil took to social media to clarify his stance. On Tuesday, he posted a message on X (formerly Twitter), asking, “Dear sir, can you please explain where and when I talked about looks in this video? Please don’t spread hate on social media.” He urged his followers to watch the full episode and make their own judgment, rather than blindly following others’ opinions.
This marks the first time Kapil has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding his remark. The episode’s release on Netflix sparked mixed reactions, with many social media users criticizing the comedian for the nature of his question. Some pointed out that Kapil’s frequent use of body-shaming, sexist, and racist humor on his show has been problematic, with one user noting that his comment seemed to reflect a fair-skin bias prevalent in parts of India.
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada also voiced her disappointment, calling out the “crass and racist jibes” often made in the name of comedy. Atlee, however, has not yet commented on the ongoing controversy.
