The latest on Tanmay Bhat: Who said what on the joke; NYT labels Lata 'so-called singer'

For those of you who thought the Tanmay Bhat Snapchat controversy would die its natural death in a couple of days, you could not be further from the truth. More people have woken up and decided to voice their opinions on the matter, there may be an impending arrest warrant in store for Bhat, and the video may be banned from Youtube, Google soon. [caption id=“attachment_2805232” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Tanmay Bhat. Image from Facebook[/caption] According to this Daily Mail report, MNS Chitrapat Sena president Ameya Khopkar told reporters on Monday that they will beat Bhat “whenever they see him".  “Some things should be beyond politics. Our agenda is clear. Those who have made videos on Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar should be arrested,” he said. And so, if you are wondering who said what, look no further. In a conversation with Spotboye, Lata Mangeshkar refrained from making a statement about the video, saying, “I have not seen the video, neither do I have any inclination to do so. I will not comment about it.” Her two sisters, Asha Bhosle and Meena Khadikar, however, did speak about the video in an interview with Bombay Times. Bhosle said, “I have not seen the video nor do I intend to. I don’t want to say anything except for we are talking about a woman (Lata didi), who has worked for 70-80 years of her life, spreading joy and happiness through her music. I now want to wait and watch how many people will stand by us.” Khadikar then spoke about Lata_ji_’s age and how she has no problem with humour but one needs to respect national icons. “Several comedians have mimicked Lata didi in the past. Johny Lever mimics Asha but they are funny. None of that made us angry. This is repulsive. There’s absolute disregard for her age or achievements,” she said. Apart from Anupam Kher, two other filmmakers have also tweeted about the issue. While most of Bollywood has been mum about it, Shirish Kunder and Subhash Ghai have expressed their disapproval of it. Shirish, however, was probably being sarcastic.

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Being offended by someone’s joke is one thing, but countering that with more offense is a trademark that only very few people have.

Sonam Kapoor is probably the only one who didn’t seem to be mighty offended with the video:

Dear @thetanmay ,being your friend I know what you say and do is never to offend, but to make people laugh.. https://t.co/O2kFj0dhjX

— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) May 31, 2016

Don't you guys think there are issues that are more important than @thetanmay snapchat jokes??? I'm in shock with this over reaction!

— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) May 31, 2016

Being living legends I know @sachin_rt and @mangeshkarlata don't even know and care about what's going on!stop spewing hate on their behalf!

— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) May 31, 2016

However, I stand by his right to create such content, just as I support criticism of it in public discourse!'

— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) June 1, 2016

Meanwhile, the Mumbai police has been following Bhat around because, “If a private person is deemed to have a threat perception, uncategorised security comprising two-four armed policemen is extended to the person, the expenses of which are borne by the state government,” reports Indian Express. If there was ever any proof that the vicious cycle of outrage can go on and on forever, it is the new issue of New York Times calling Lata Mangeshkar a “so-called playback singer”, reports News 18. While the original article has been modified to delete that bit, you can read the whole piece here.