Stand-up comedian Yash Bhardwaj has shared that he recently went through a prolonged and difficult legal ordeal in Dubai, which ended in his deportation to India. In a post on Instagram last week, he opened up about the incident, describing the period as emotionally and physically exhausting for both him and his family.
According to Bhardwaj, the trouble began after a short, humorous reel he posted in March that joked about Google Maps malfunctioning in Dubai amid escalating geopolitical tensions involving the US and Iran. He says the video eventually led to police intervention while he was in the city for a performance.
“On March 19, while I was at a gig in Dubai, I got a call from Dubai Police asking me to report to the Dubai Police HQ immediately. Turns out they had an issue with a comedy reel I made about Google Maps malfunctioning in Dubai due to the current war in the region.''
“It was a harmless, dumb reel - but the authorities did not find it funny. I was detained and arrested as a perceived national security threat, and I spent 47 days in a detention centre,” Bhardwaj said.
He remained in custody for 47 days before being sent back to India, arriving on May 5. Since then, he has been staying in Mumbai and gradually rebuilding his routine, both personally and professionally.
“Returned to India on May 5. It wasn’t easy at all for me or my family - it drained us physically, emotionally, and to some extent, financially,” Bhardwaj said.
Despite the setback, he added that he has resumed performing and is trying to regain stability.
“I’m back on track now, and thankfully, so is my family. Mumbai has been kind to me, and I got back on stage much sooner than I expected,” he added.
The comedian also mentioned that he will soon travel to Bengaluru, a city he associates closely with the early days of his stand-up journey, as he looks ahead to a fresh start.
“I’m off to Bangalore for a few weeks - the city where my love for the stage actually began 16 years ago - to kick off a new chapter in my life,” he said in his Instagram post.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
