The Habitat, located on the first floor of a hotel in Mumbai, is an “intimate 55-70 seater for music, standup comedy, poetry, alternate events” venue, it’s site claims. It is the same venue where comedian Kunal Kamra‘s show was filmed, in which he allegedly made derogatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Above it is another venue for gigs, comedy specials, and recordings with a capacity of 150-250 people. Located in a posh, affluent and a well-connected suburb in Mumbai, this Khar venue inside Hotel UniContinental, boasts of hosting standup comedians like Gaurav Kapoor, Shaurya Tyagi, Sonali Thakker, Biswa Kalyan Rath, and Kaneez Surka.
What’s so special about this venue?
For starters, this is the same venue where the controversial ‘India’s Got Latent’ was filmed. Continuing with its streak of hosting controversial shows, The Habitat is again at the centre of a storm, this time a political one.
For the uninitiated, ‘India’s Got Latent’ was pulled down by its creator Samay Raina following a massive row over Ranveer Allahbadia’s ‘watch your parents have sex’ remark.
An FIR was filed earlier this month against Apoorva Makhija, YouTubers Ashish Chanchlani, Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, and others associated with the show.
Who owns The Habitat?
The venue is owned by Balraj Singh Ghai, producer of ‘India’s Got Latent’, and also one of the judges on the show. His Instagram bio says he is someone who “loves people who use talent for nonsense”.
Ghai is not only a producer but also owns the Hotel UniContinental, where The Habitat is located. He is also the founder of The Habitat Studios, The Habitat Canteen, and Pind Da Dhaba, his LinkedIn bio says.
The Habitat Studio shuts down
After Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader and vandalised the The Habitat Studio on Sunday night over Kunal Kamra’s remarks, it issued a statement on Monday, claiming that it supports creative dialogue and just provides artists a space to perform.
“We urge constructive conversations, not destruction, to address disagreements. We do not support hate or harm of any kind. Violence and destruction undermine the very spirit of art and dialogue,” the Habitat said in a post on its Instagram page.
“We are shocked, worried and extremely broken by the recent acts of vandalism targeting us. Artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices. We have never been involved in the content performed by any Artist, but the recent events have made us rethink about how we get blamed and targeted every time almost like we are a proxy for the performer,” the comedy club said.
“We are shutting down till we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy,” it added.
The Habitat also distanced itself from Kamra’s gig and said that it was not involved in its making and “does not endorse the views expressed by it”. “We extend a sincere and heartfelt apology to all those hurt by this video,” it said.
What is the Kunal Kamra controversy?
In a two-minute long video, Kamra allegedly made defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, taunting him with a modified version of a Hindi song from the film ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’ and a ‘traitor’ remark.
Soon after the two minute-long video went viral, Kamra was booked for defamation. An FIR was also lodged against him by Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Murji Patel at the MIDC Police station in Mumbai.
In his response, Kunal Kamra shared a photo of himself holding a pocket version of the Constitution of India on Monday. In a post on X, he wrote, “The only way forward.”
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