Mimicry At Rahul Gandhi Event: Comedian Pulkit Mani Cancels 3 Shows After Threats

Comedian Pulkit Mani, who performed alongside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at an event in Madhya Pradesh, has cancelled his upcoming stand-up shows in Noida, Lucknow and Kanpur, citing repeated threats following a controversial mimicry act involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mani performed at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore, where he appeared on stage with Gandhi and mimicked Modi during a short skit. The performance has since triggered a political controversy, with the BJP criticising the Congress over the episode.

In an Instagram Story on Monday, Mani announced that his Noida performance had been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The Story subsequently disappeared after Instagram's 24-hour period.

In a follow-up post, Mani gave a more specific reason for cancelling his Lucknow and Kanpur shows, writing: “Due to repeated threats from goon activists, my Lucknow and Kanpur shows are cancelled.”

The comedian has also shared screenshots on social media that he says show the hate messages and threats he has received since the controversy erupted. His claims about the threats have not been independently verified in the available report.

A video shared by the Congress on X on Sunday showed Mani performing a skit with Gandhi. Mani entered the stage laughing and hugged Gandhi before Gandhi addressed him as “Modi ji”. Mani responded with the phrase “Great harassment” while continuing the mimicry.

The exchange continued with Gandhi asking him to “tell me more”. Mani then said “Maa ko kursi do, maa”, pointing towards the audience.

The BJP reacted sharply to the video, accusing the Congress of turning politics into a “circus” and criticising the use of Modi's likeness during the event.

The controversy has now moved beyond the political debate, with Mani's cancellation of three scheduled shows highlighting the pressure he says he has faced following the performance.

As of Tuesday, Mani has publicly cited threats as the reason for cancelling his Lucknow and Kanpur shows, while his Noida cancellation was initially described as being due to “unforeseen circumstances”.