Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act Episode on Netflix Leaves Twitterati Divided With Standup Comedian’s Stark Views on Indian Politics

Indian-American comedian, Hasan Minhaj 's Netflix show, Patriot Act is currently in its second season and has been irking some big names with its content. The show focusing on issues that are of socio-political importance has thrown light on several global issues of importance such as Drug pricing in America, China's censorship, Saudi Arabia banned episode on the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and so on. The latest episode which streamed on March 17 has piqued massive interest for Indians solely because it was all about Indian Politics and mainly Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

As per Hasan's show format, this episode is probably the best Civics lesson you have had in your entire life mainly because he is the king of analogies and there could be no easier way to describe India's current political scene. Ranging from who is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his landslide 2014 elections victory to his RSS connection, Minhaj bared it all in a merely thirty-minute episode. Mind you, this was no one-sided argument, the comedian hasn't forgotten his journalistic ethics and reached out to India's biggest political parties currently fighting it out in the 2019 elections. While BJP (current ruling party) failed to respond for his interview request, Indian National Congress (currently opposition party) managed to send the most eloquent person around, MP Shashi Tharoor for their rescue. Netflix Takes Down Second Episode of Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act That Criticises Saudi Arabia.

Minhaj has dared to do what most Indian journalists are scared or far less bothered to speak about, the people in power and their past. From calling Congress  President Rahul Gandhi as India's Michael Buble to calling out Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 'a monk with a gun', he didn't spare Modi's awkward 'hugging' obsession with International leaders either. Be it demonetization or the 2G scam, everything was carefully placed in the show.

Check out the episode also available on YouTube:

The show's well-rounded argument on the real problem of Indian politics, having to vote for candidates with a history of involvement in major corruption scandals and also facing murder charges was unbelievably honest. The episode mildly also touched on the Pulwama Attack incident showing how poorly the Indian media is handling this situation.

All the above relevant information provided in the episode has left Indian fans of the show impressed as well as worried. With the current political atmosphere of drowning out voices that may show any form of dissent, a Muslim Indo-American host talking about Modi's RSS connection may not have a happy ending. Trolls have already begun to flood Minhaj with nasty comments. Netflix’s Dating Around: Viewers Left Fuming over ‘Racist’ White Dude Mansplaining Love to an Indian Woman.

Even as a few Indian users including popular Indian personalities such as comedian and political satirist Kunal Kamra, music composer Vishal Dadlani and journalist Rana Ayyub have doled out praises for Hasan Minhaj, there are also those who have been wishing him luck for he may have irked the wrong people once again. Another scare is also that the episode may be taken down if 'those influential' take offense by it.

Here's what Twitter's talking about the Patriot Act episode:

Kunal Kamra :

Vishal Dadlani:

Rana Ayyub: 

Another Twitter user:

A disgruntled viewer tweeted:

Another Twitter user's response:

Criticism for the episode:

We will have to wait and watch how this episode re-telling India's political scene is approached by the current government given that Elections 2019 are just around the corner. With all the 'chowkidari' that's going on out there,  Patriot Act's latest episode does seem to be in a bit of censorship danger.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2019 03:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).