Inside Pulkit Mani's Modi Skit — and the Backlash Details

New details show the exact Modi mimicry skit with Rahul Gandhi that BJP called a 'circus' and that Mani says brought him threats and hate messages.

The comedy story everyone was talking about this week now has a full transcript. According to Rediff, a video shared by the Congress on X shows Pulkit Mani taking the stage laughing and hugging Rahul Gandhi, opening with "My friend. How are you?" Gandhi, playing along, replies, "I'm fine; how are you, Modi ji?" Mani answers "Great harassment," and keeps deploying "my friend" through the bit. The New Indian Express reports the act closed with Mani telling the audience, "Maa ko kursi do, maa." For a comedy audience, the skit itself — impression, physicality, callback line — is the actual story, and it ran at the opposition leader's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

A comedian doing a Modi impression on a political stage is exactly the kind of material that collapses stand-up into political combat, and the fallout came instantly. The Daily Pioneer reports the BJP accused the Congress of turning into a "circus" over the video, and Economic Times notes the party made the same "circus" attack in its response. What makes the episode unusual inside comedy circles is not that a politician mocked an impressionist — it is that the impression was performed alongside the politician being lampooned, a structure late-night sketch almost never attempts with sitting power.

Following the viral video, Mani's UP dates are off. Economic Times and The New Indian Express both report he announced on Instagram Stories Monday that his Noida show was cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances," apologizing to ticket-holders and thanking fans for support. A follow-up post, per Daily Pioneer, was blunter: "Due to repeated threats from goon activists, my Lucknow and Kanpur shows are cancelled." Since Instagram Stories expire after 24 hours, Rediff notes the posts have already disappeared — meaning the only public record of the cancellations now is screenshots and press coverage.

Multiple outlets, including Economic Times, Daily Pioneer and The New Indian Express, report that since the controversy broke, the comedian has been posting screenshots on social media of what he says are hate messages directed at him. For comedy watchers, that evidence trail matters: it moves the story from a vague claims-and-denials standoff to a comedian showing his inbox in real time, the same playbook other Indian stand-ups have used when tour dates collapsed under pressure.

Three cities in a single state losing a booked show is a measurable commercial event, and the pattern Rediff describes — cancellations attributed to "repeated threats from goon activists" — is one touring comedians and promoters will read closely. The Economic Times framing of "repeated threats" matches Mani's own language, and the Daily Pioneer's identical reporting confirms this was the stated reason, not a scheduling accident. When threat campaigns reliably convert into cancelled dates, venues and bookers inherit the risk calculation, and material that touches ruling-party figures gets priced accordingly.

The New Indian Express, carrying PTI reporting, notes the controversy began with his appearance alongside Gandhi at the Indore event — meaning any future booking is now a political story before it is a comedy one. Comics across the circuit will be watching whether that glare follows him to the next stage.