‘Outrage and success go hand in hand’: Stand-up comedian Daniel Fernandes on trauma and controversy

Daniel Fernandes’ stand-up shows and YouTube videos have led the comedian to deal with a fair bit of controversy. Yet, it is his attention to contemporary events that brings nuance to his comedic observations about society and politics, public and online life and even free speech.

Last year, the stand-up comic was once again in the news when he was served a notice by two Supreme Court lawyers demanding that he take down a clip from one of his shows where his routine included, among other things, observations about the situation in Kashmir.

Fernandes stood his ground, explaining in a post on social media that in a time when there is a global “trend of stifling voices, … [l]aughter wields a certain kind of power … that might make certain groups of people uneasy…”

Even so, he emphasised that the intent of his comedy “is never to change [people’s] point of view … I just enjoy talking about stuff that makes us uncomfortable and maybe offer some perspective. I am not important – politicians and the citizens they serve are.”

Caste, religion and gender are all fair game in Fernandes’s repertoire. But this is not material that he takes on simply to get a rise out of his audience: his approach to these subjects...

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