by Pulkit Mani’s Parody Of The Prime Minister’s Enthusiasm For World Leader Hugs Now Available In Multiple Reuploaded Versions, None Of Which Are Technically The Original
MUMBAI – Comedian Pulkit Mani, whose video parody of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s exuberance during diplomatic meetings with world leaders – characterised by his impersonation as consisting primarily of the word “my friend” delivered with escalating enthusiasm – has been blocked on Instagram following a government takedown order. The original post, which per NPR reporting depicted Modi’s “signature hugs and laughs” during his visit to Israel, was viewed approximately 4.2 million times before its removal. As of Thursday, the video exists in approximately fourteen reuploaded versions across various platforms, none of which are technically the original post that the government order targeted.
For Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat. London satirical journalism has observed that the government removal of satire is, historically, the most effective promotion mechanism available to the satirist. The Streisand Effect, named for a different context, applies here with its usual precision.
The Accuracy Question
The government’s objection to Mani’s impression is that it portrays the Prime Minister in bad taste. Multiple audience members who viewed the video before its removal described it as “accurate”, which is the specific description that government censorship is least equipped to address, because the legal framework for blocking content does not include accuracy as a criterion. A technically accurate impression that is also in bad taste is, under the current framework, blockable. The accuracy does not protect it. This is, to the satirist, the most important fact about the framework.
The Distribution Pattern
The fourteen reuploaded versions have collectively exceeded the original post’s viewership. This is the standard outcome when government removal is applied to viral satire in an era of distributed digital platforms. The Times of India has been covering the censorship pattern. The coverage has been distributed across approximately fourteen platforms. None of them are technically the original article.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/ | More: Reductress
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