India police book Bollywood stars for comedy ‘roast’

Mumbai police said Friday they have registered a case against a string of Bollywood  celebrities, alleging obscenity in the staging of a comedy “roast” television show which sparked a furore over freedom of expression.A-list actress Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Karan Johar are among those named in the case over the show AIB Knockout, which was pulled from YouTube after causing uproar in India for its profanities and sexual references.Police will now investigate the group-as part of the “first information
report” or FIR filed-including for criminal conspiracy, obscene acts and songs, and
words or gestures intended to insult a woman’s modesty. “The FIR is registered against
14 accused at Tardeo police station,”Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay
Kulkarni, spokesman for the Mumbai force, told AFP, listing the various organisers and
participants accused.AIB Knockout, hosted by Johar in December, comically insulted
several Bollywood actors in front of a large audience strewn with celebrities such as
Padukone, in a format common in Western countries but rarely seen in India.The show
included Johar and Bollywood actors Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh-both also booked
by the police-singing a reworking of a song with the Hindi word for penis substituting
some lyrics.