KATHMANDU: A short video posted by Comedy Night with Champions director Bishal Bhandari outside the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Singha Durbar on Thursday sparked social media chatter and media speculation that he had been summoned by the government following a satirical episode of the popular show.
The speculation stems from the timing of Bhandari’s visit. Just days earlier, the show’s latest episode aired featuring a biting impersonation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli by comedian Suman Karki. The episode humorously portrayed the tensions between PM Oli and lawmakers from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who were also the guests on the show.
The episode quickly went viral, garnering over 1 million views in four days — the fastest-growing episode of the show so far, according to Bhandari.
Following the release of the video from the PMO premises, social media users and some media outlets speculated that Bhandari had been called in by the authorities in response to the satire targeting Oli, raising concerns about press and artistic freedom.
However, Bhandari has denied these claims. Speaking to Khabarhub, he clarified that he had gone to the PMO simply to meet a friend who works on the Prime Minister’s team.
“I was there just to see a friend. It had nothing to do with the episode, nor was I officially summoned,” he said over the phone.
He added that the coincidence of timing led to unnecessary assumptions. “It’s like a tiger growled and a goat went missing — now I’m left clarifying things to everyone,” he joked.
Shortly after speaking with Khabarhub, Bhandari posted a clarification on his Facebook page as well, accusing some media of spreading misinformation based on a brief video without verifying the facts.
“Let’s not sell gossip in the name of news,” he wrote. “Misinformation does not guide society in the right direction.”
Comment