Reportedly, Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has also issued a threat, to Johar, Kapoor, and Singh, stating that they will not release any of their films in Maharashtra unless they tender an "unconditional apology". They have also asked AIB to provide an apology.
On February 3, All India Bakchod took down all three parts of the roast from YouTube.
Have taken down AIB Knockout for now. We will speak soon.
According to latest reports, Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister of Maharashtra, has declared that if, when investigated, the AIB roast is found vulgar and legally unsound, action will be taken.
If AIB roast was vulgar and violated laws, we will act, says Maharashtra Chief Minister
On Jan. 28, Indian comedy group All India Bakchod released their roast of Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor on YouTube.
Once uploaded to YouTube, the roast swiftly went viral, amassing about 9 million hits across all three parts.
Reports state that a written complaint was filed by Akhilesh Tiwari, president of Brahman Ekta Seva Sanstha in Mumbai, at the Sakinaka police station. It was issued because of the "filthy and obscene language" used at the AIB Knockout.
Tiwari reportedly said:
I have handed over a letter to Sakinaka police demanding a criminal complaint be lodged against these so-called youth icons Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. The show, which can be seen on YouTube and other websites, was extremely abusive and it is not only ruining the clean image of the Indian culture & women, but is also misleading today's youth.
Since the filing of this report, other organisations have also begun filing police complaints against the comedy show. A Catholic group called Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum"has filed a complaint, claiming that the show was "against Christ."
All India Bakchod confirmed the probe in a tweet:
News of the probe has divided India's online community, with many tweeting solidarity for the comedy collective, and three separate AIB-related national Twitter trends in the top 10.
India, oh India! Please surprise me some day! We Stand By AIB Knockout @AllIndiaBakchod
By Jove! People are still talking about the #AIBRoast ! GET OVER IT!!
Karan Johar, his mum, @AllIndiaBakchod & Arjun-Ranveer are *adults*. #AIBRoast is meant for *adults*. Parents, monitor your kids on YouTube.
#AIBRoast: Complaint filed by right wing group who say roast "ruining clean image of Indian culture & women." http://t.co/BdlDlqVX3l
The only police that ever arrives before time, the moral police #AIBRoast
It was a ticketed show. You had to download to watch. There were warnings at start. Don't watch then #AIBRoast @mahesh_rohira @vivekbabaji
Irony? People protesting against AIB are the same people who were preaching Freedom Of Speech some weeks before. We Stand By AIB Knockout.
if you dont like, do not watch, same logic will apply to We Stand By AIB Knockout
Cultural influencers also weighed in:
If they are going to probe AIB roast for abusive language, they will also need to probe every college hostel in this country.
Vinod Tawde, the cultural affairs minister of Maharashtra, clarified that the inquiry is only to check if AIB had the necessary permissions to put on their show, and not because of its content:
On #AIBRoast, will only enquire if the AIB had taken appropriate certificate. No moral policing if they r allowed by law, I can't stop them.
And Ashoke Pandit, a member of the censor board, tweeted this:
Karan Johar could have easily shown his position while performing sex to his mom at home instead of making it public.#AIB Porn Show.
This comes two days after the word "Bombay" was censored out of a song and music video, just a few days after a Mumbai editor was arrested (and forced to wear a veil) for republishing Charlie Hebdo's "Je Suis Charlie" cover, and just a month after Aamir Khan's historic film PK – which is critical of India's thriving Godman industry – came under fire by members of the censor board.
All India Bakchod was unavailable for comment.
The name of the Maharashtra chief minister is Devendra Fadnavis. A previous version of this story misstated his name — we're sorry for pulling an Alia.