How the Mumbai club under attack for Kamra’s show gave stand-up comics a stage – and street cred

On Tuesday, two days after workers of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ran amok inside The Habitat, two women dressed in black stood outside the popular performance venue, one of them with roses in her hand.

The club, housed in Mumbai’s UniContinental hotel, had drawn the ire of the Sena workers because a video shot there by comedian Kunal Kamra had mocked former deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, albeit without naming him.

Soon after the attack, The Habitat announced it was temporarily shutting down until it figures “out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy”.

The women had turned up to express solidarity with the club, the receptionist at the UniContinental, told Scroll. She watched through the glass doors as the Mumbai police refused to allow them to enter the club and place the roses inside. “Later, when they had left, a man came and stood outside to show support,” the receptionist said.

Mumbai, Maharashtra: Two women arrived outside the Habitat Club at the 'Unicontinental Hotel' with roses, requesting the police to allow them to enter and place the flowers inside. However, the police personnel did not allow pic.twitter.com/ejxViK78qG— IANS (@ians_india) March 25, 2025

On Wednesday, when Scroll visited the club, a guarded...

Read more