Kapil Sharma draws flak for mocking Atlee's appearance

Popular stand-up comedian and television host Kapil Sharma is receiving backlash for body-shaming director-producer Atlee in a recent episode of his The Great Indian Kapil Show, in which Atlee, along with Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, and director Kalees, were present to promote their upcoming film, Baby John.

In the episode, Kapil had asked Atlee whether there was an instance where he went to meet a star and they didn't recognise him. "Have they asked where is Atlee?" he asked, to which the Jawan director retorted, "Sir, in a way, I understood your question. I'll try to answer. I am very thankful to AR Murugadoss sir, because he produced my first film. He asked for the script, but he didn't see how I was looking and whether I was capable of it, but he loved my narration."

The hit filmmaker added that someone shouldn't be "judged by their appearance, but by their heart."

This particular clip from the video is going viral, with netizens and some prominent celebrities expressing their displeasure over Kapil's thinly veiled remarks under the pretense of making a joke.

Popular singer Chinmayi Sripaada, on her X handle, asked, "Will they never stop these crass and racist jibes at his skin colour in the name of ‘comedy’? Someone with the amount of influence and clout like Kapil Sharma saying something like this is disappointing and, unfortunately, not surprising,” she added.

A while ago, Shaktimaan actor Mukesh Khanna had stated his disapproval of Kapil Sharma's show, calling it "indecent" and reliant on “below-the-belt jokes”.

Baby John, which hits theatres on Dec. 25, is an adaptation of Atlee's Theri, which starred Vijay, Samantha, and Amy Jackson.

Atlee is a co-producer on Baby John along with Murad Khetani, Priya Atlee, and Jyoti Deshpande.