103.69.14.63 at 22:28, 30 May 2022

2022-05-30T22:28:43Z

>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Removing from Category:Indian Internet celebrities in subcat using Cat-a-lot

2021-04-21T03:47:04Z

Removing from Category:Indian Internet celebrities in subcat using Cat-a-lot

New page

{{short description|Indian stand-up comedian}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2019}}

{{Infobox person
| name = Utsav Chakraborty
| image =
| caption =
| occupation = {{ubl|Comedian|Actor|Writer}}
| nationality = India
| citizenship = India
| organization = {{ubl|[[Huffington Post India]]|[[All India Bakchod]]}}
| known_for = {{ubl|@SatanBhagat|Stand Up Comedy}}
| style = {{ubl|[[Trolling]]|[[Parody]]}}
| television = {{ubl|Queens Vs Kings ([[Discovery Asia-Pacific]])|Challenge Accepted ([[Comedy Central India]])}}
}}

'''Utsav Chakraborty''' is an Indian comedian, writer and actor. He has performed stand-up, written comedy, and acted in sketches and shows, who is known for his frequent collaborations with [[All India Bakchod]].

==Career==
Chakraborty gained online popularity, in 2012, for operating a [[Chetan Bhagat]] troll account called '''@'''SatanBhagat on [[Twitter]]. He started performing stand-up comedy across India. He was briefly employed as [[HuffPost]] India's Trends Editor, for three months in 2015 and later on went on to work as a staff writer at [[All India Bakchod|All India Bakchod (AIB.)]] He has since written for television shows and performed sketches with contemporary Indian comedians. As an actor, and performer, he was known for his frequent collaborations with [[All India Bakchod|All India Bakchod (AIB)]] on comedy sketches and branded content.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Chetanic-Verses/articleshow/10539267.cms|title=Chetanic Verses|website=The Times of India|access-date=15 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/10/04/popular-stand-up-comedian-utsav-chakraborty-accused-of-sexual-harassment_a_23550776/|title=Popular Stand-Up Comedian Utsav Chakraborty Accused Of Sexual Harassment|date=2018-10-04|website=HuffPost India|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/look-whos-chasing-the-twitter-god/280458|title=Look Who's Chasing... The Twitter God|website=Outlook India|access-date=15 February 2019}}</ref>

Between 2016 and 2018, Chakraborty acted in numerous projects that included branded content, reality television, and comedy sketches. He acted in ''Behti Naak'' (running nose), a [[Black comedy|dark-comedy]] [[YouTube]] series (created by [[Sumukhi Suresh]],) and was a recurring cast member in the first two seasons of, [[mockumentary]] web-series, ''Better Life Foundation''. During the first half of 2017 he worked as a writer on the second season of ''Son of Abish—''[[Abish Mathew|Abish Matthew]]'s YouTube talk show. The following year, Chakraborty was a participant on [[TLC (TV network)#India|TLC]]'s comedy reality-TV show (''Queens Vs Kings)'' in April, and [[Comedy Central (India)|Comedy Central India]]'s [[Impractical Jokers]] spinoff ''(Challenge Accepted)''. He also hosted a YouTube segment for [[Vice Media|VICE]] about Indian [[Men's rights movement|Men's Rights Activists]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Inside The Growing Men’s Rights Movement in India|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKSqmwDzFxA|language=en|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Rise by TLC|title=Guide to Funny Criticism: Comedians as Critic {{!}} Queens vs Kings Episode 5 Promo {{!}} Rise by TLC|date=17 May 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLvU6WVW1Ag|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bestmediainfo.com/2018/04/tlc-launches-comedy-show-queens-vs-kings/|title=TLC launches comedy show Queens vs Kings|last=Mumbai|first=BestMediaInfo Bureau|last2=April 20|website=bestmediaifo.com|access-date=19 February 2019|last3=2018}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Rise by TLC|title=Comedy Roast Special {{!}} Queens vs Kings Episode 9 Promo {{!}} Rise by TLC|date=14 June 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82lhyh2Lsxo|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.televisionpost.com/tlcs-comedy-show-queens-vs-kings-to-debut-on-23-april-with-12-sponsors-on-board/|title=TLC's comedy show 'Queens vs Kings' to debut on 23 April with 12 sponsors on-board – TelevisionPost: Latest News, India’s Television, Cable, DTH, TRAI|date=19 April 2018|website=TelevisionPost: Latest News, India’s Television, Cable, DTH, TRAI|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>

In October 2018, a number of unverified allegations of sexual impropriety surfaced on Twitter claiming Chakraborty had allegedly sent unsolicited explicit messages to multiple women. Chakraborty initially apologized for his transgressions, then remained inactive for about a year. In November, 2019, a leaked call recording between him and one of the prime accusers surfaced in which Chakraborty challenged the authenticity of the allegations and claimed the unverified allegations effectively destroyed his career, maligned his reputation and made him suicidal.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://theprint.in/india/utsav-chakraborty-denies-metoo-charges-in-twitter-thread-social-media-divided/325157/|title=Year after #MeToo apology, comic Utsav Chakraborty calls out 4 women on Twitter for ‘lies’|last=Sirur|first=Simrin|date=2019-11-22|website=ThePrint|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-22}}</ref>

=== Style ===
Chakraborty's stand up is in nature, a comedic style he cultivated since operating @SatanBhagat. He leveraged his online fame into open-mic spots and writing gigs for comedy sketches and television. He has since won multiple open mics and gigged across India.

== Controversy ==
{{See also|Me Too movement (India)}}

In October 2018, fellow comedian Mahima Khukhreja tweeted accusing Utsav of sending her a dick pic, followed by screenshots of anonymous messages accusing him of attempting to harass a younger girl.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Phadke|first=Manasi|date=2018-10-04|title=Comedian Utsav Chakraborty faces multiple charges of sexual harassment, even from minors|url=https://theprint.in/india/governance/comedian-utsav-chakraborty-faces-multiple-charges-of-sexual-harassment-even-from-minors/129724/|access-date=2020-06-29|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}}</ref> Utsav later said that he never harassed her, and that she was only a year younger at 26 years of age<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

Chakraborty initially apologized and his actions prompted an apology from [[All India Bakchod|All India Bakchod (AIB)]]. AIB apologized for continuing to work with him after Tanmay Bhat, the chief executive officer at the time, had received "specific, detailed allegations" of sexual harassment against Chakraborty prior to the public call-out. Eight months later, aided by a separate allegation against a co-founder surfaced, AIB fired its staff, and halted production of its YouTube channel, after a majority of brands decided to not work with them.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-10-12/-metoo-in-india-one-year-later-how-cases-played-out-for-accusers|title=How the #MeToo Cases That Shook India Have Played Out|last=|first=|date=|website=www.bloomberg.com|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

=== Consequences ===
{{quote box
| quote = “Someday, maybe, I’ll talk about what transpired in detail. It was not at all as cut and dry as it was presented to the world. But in the interim, I just hope to not be an absolute dingbat now or in the future — if I get to have one, that is.”
| source = — Utsav Chakraborty<ref>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-10-12/-metoo-in-india-one-year-later-how-cases-played-out-for-accusers</ref>
| align = right
| width = 30%
}}As a result of allegations of sexual misconduct against him, All India Bakchod delisted the videos he worked on from their YouTube channel. AIB's show, [[On Air With AIB]], was cancelled in its third season ([[All India Bakchod#Allegations of sexual misconduct|compounded by allegations against another co-founder]]) and some of his work from ''Queens Vs Kings'' has also been removed from YouTube, while other projects he worked on remain online.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newsd.in/metoo-one-half-of-the-conversation-was-missing-utsav-chakraborty-breaks-silence/|title=#MeToo: "One half of the conversation was missing," Utsav Chakraborty breaks silence|work=Newsd www.newsd.in|access-date=2019-11-21|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/comedy-group-aib-removes-videos-of-ex-member-accused-of-sexual-harassment-1927046|title=Comedy Group AIB Removes Videos of Ex-Member Accused of Sexual Harassment|website=NDTV.com|access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-10-12/-metoo-in-india-one-year-later-how-cases-played-out-for-accusers|title=How the #MeToo Cases That Shook India Have Played Out|last=|first=|date=11 October 2019|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

One year later, in October 2019, Chakraborty said he has few friends left and would like to be in therapy but couldn't afford it because he is not working. "I haven’t worked or seen a paycheck since last October," he said. He admitted his past behavior was "problematic" and realized he made people "uncomfortable," which took a heavy toll on him. He said the media was irresponsible by exaggerating the accounts relating to his case without any verification or investigations into the allegation.

===Aftermath===
On 21 November 2019, a year after the initial allegations of sexual impropriety, an audio clip of a conversation between Chakraborty, Kukreja and her sister was uploaded to [[YouTube]]. The conversation, broken into two uploads, happened one month after the initial allegations were made public. In it, Chakraborty can be heard listening to Kukreja and her sister, who identified herself as a lawyer, threatening him with legal action as Chakraborty planned to provide evidence that would disprove her accounts of the incident.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://in.mashable.com/culture/8744/metoo-leaked-audio-clip-of-comedian-utsav-chakraborty-sows-seeds-of-doubt-over-allegations|title=#MeToo: Leaked Audio Clip Of Comedian Utsav Chakraborty Sows Seeds of Doubt Over Allegations|last=hours|first=Jinal Bhatt 10|last2=Minutes|first2=57|date=2019-11-22|website=Mashable India|language=en|access-date=2019-11-22}}</ref>

On the same day, in a flurry of tweets, Utsav claimed that all of the earlier allegations were false, stating that the instagram conversations had been leaked without the alleged victim's consent, and with one half of the conversation which showed her consenting deleted. This was confirmed by said accuser, who then apologised to Utsav before deleting her account.<ref>Sirur, Simrin (22 November 2019) - [https://theprint.in/india/utsav-chakraborty-denies-metoo-charges-in-twitter-thread-social-media-divided/325157/ Year after #MeToo apology, comic Utsav Chakraborty calls out 4 women on Twitter for ‘lies’] ''ThePrint.''</ref> Utsav also asserted, using screenshots, that the girl purported to be 'much younger' than him was only an year younger at 26 years of age, and that he never harassed her.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=months|first=Jinal Bhatt 7|last2=Week|first2=1|date=2019-11-22|title=#MeToo: Leaked Audio Clip Of Comedian Utsav Chakraborty Sows Seeds of Doubt Over Allegations|url=https://in.mashable.com/culture/8744/metoo-leaked-audio-clip-of-comedian-utsav-chakraborty-sows-seeds-of-doubt-over-allegations|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Mashable India|language=en-in}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title="Why would so many women lie about one person?"...|url=https://twitter.com/wootsaw/status/1197466305495846913|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Twitter|language=en}}</ref>

Chakraborty claimed Kukreja didn't verify any allegations of impropriety sent to her. In response to claims of malicious intent against her, Kukreja penned a statement in [[Firstpost]] calling Chaktraborty's claims a, "planned and orchestrated PR-led campaign [that] has been led to malign me Kukreja, the women who spoke up, and the #MeToo movement itself." She said the leaked audio and screenshots of their previous chats were misleading, false, and claimed the audio was doctored. Chakraborty has since called the allegations against him "fabricated."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/mahima-kukreja-on-utsav-chakraborty-allegations-campaign-to-malign-me-women-who-spoke-up-metoo-movement-7700701.html|title=Mahima Kukreja on Utsav Chakraborty allegations: 'Campaign to malign me, women who spoke up, #MeToo movement'- Entertainment News, Firstpost|date=2019-11-26|website=Firstpost|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/as-utsav-chakraborty-calls-metoo-allegations-fabricated-mahima-kukreja-says-he-needs-to-own-up-apologise-7697521.html|title=As Utsav Chakraborty calls #MeToo allegations 'fabricated'; Mahima Kukreja says he needs to own up, apologise- Entertainment News, Firstpost|date=2019-11-25|website=Firstpost|language=en|access-date=2019-11-30}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakraborty, Utsav}}
[[Category:Indian stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1985 births]]
[[Category:Indian YouTubers]]

Utsav Chakraborty - Revision history

103.69.14.63 at 22:28, 30 May 2022

>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Removing from Category:Indian Internet celebrities in subcat using Cat-a-lot