Madhur Virli’s controversy comes at a time when conversations around stand-up comedy and accountability are already active online following the recent backlash faced by Pranit More over the Rs 370 biryani row.
Published: June 15, 2026, 12:39 PM IST
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Madhur Virli (PC- Instagram)
After the controversy around Pranit More’s viral crowd-work clips, another comedian has landed in trouble online. This time, social media users have turned their attention to Madhur Virli after an old stand-up video from 2024 resurfaced and triggered criticism.
Who is Madhur Virli?
Madhur Virli is a stand-up comedian who has built an audience through live performances and online clips. He is also known for his educational background, with many online users referring to him as an IIT graduate-turned-comic. After graduating from IIT Delhi, he followed a conventional career before his early break in 2018 when he won the stand-up category at the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet. His content often includes observational and dark humour. It helped him earn recognition.
Why is Madhur Virli getting trolled?
The backlash against Madhur Virli started after an old clip from his 2024 stand-up set Love & Latex resurfaced online. In the video, the comedian made jokes that referenced rape and violence, which many viewers found offensive and insensitive. In one part of the set, Madhur joked about rape cases and made comments imagining conversations after such crimes. Another line from the performance referenced how survivors describe the trauma they experience. The clip received criticism online, with many users saying the material crossed the line and treated a serious issue too casually.
Supporters of the criticism argued that the issue was not dark comedy itself, but the way the topic was handled. The video sparked wider conversations online about whether certain subjects, especially crimes involving sexual violence, should be approached differently in comedy.
In the viral video, Madhur was heard saying, “10 rape cases hote hain, to 9 aise hote hain jinke sirf rape hota hai aur ek ke saath hota hai murder after rape. Mujhe lagta hai woh rape case tab hota hoga jab just after rape ladka uthta hoga aur bandi bolti hogi, ‘Arey, cuddle nahi karoge kya iske baad?’ Tab ladka chaku maarta hoga, ‘Chaku ke saath cuddle kar le.’”
The controversy comes at a time when stand-up comedy content is already under scrutiny following recent debates around viral crowd-work clips and what audiences consider acceptable humour.
The controversy comes at a time when conversations around stand-up comedy and accountability are already active online following the recent backlash faced by Pranit More over the Rs 370 biryani row. Actress Urfi Javed also reacted to Madhur’s video and criticised the content. “Has even a serious incident like rape become a subject of jokes? I want to urge all male comedians to include women in their teams, so they can gain greater understanding and sensitivity”, wrote Javed.
