Bollywood newcomer Veer Pahariya has reacted to a violent attack on comedian Pranit More for allegedly making a joke about the actor. Pranit claimed that a group of men assaulted him following one of his performances, over a joke he made about Veer. Taking to Instagram, the comedian shared his harrowing experience, detailing the events that transpired in Solapur.
Attack on standup comedian Pranit More
Pranit More narrated the incident on his Instagram account, revealing that a gang of around 12 men confronted him after his show. He identified one of the attackers as Tanveer Shaikh and stated that the group made their motive clear.
“The leader of this attack was Tanveer Shaikh, and his gang made it clear why they were doing this—they wanted to silence me for making jokes about Bollywood debutant Veer Pahariya. One of them even threatened, 'Agli Baar Veer Pahariya baba pe joke maarke dikha!'—a clear warning that worse consequences would follow if I dared to joke about him again,” Pranit wrote.
Expressing his concerns, he further questioned the state of artistic freedom and personal security. “If a comedian can be physically assaulted just for making a joke, what does that say about our basic rights and safety? As Maharashtrian artists, we never imagined that in our own state, we would face such violence just for doing our job. We are sharing this because people need to know the reality. Maharashtra is our home, and we refuse to believe that we have reached a point where violence and suppression have replaced dialogue and humour.”
What Veer Pahariya said
Reacting to this, Veer Pahariya took to Instagram Stories to express his shock and dismay over the incident. He firmly distanced himself from the attack, condemning any form of violence.
“I am truly shocked and saddened by what happened to comedian Pranit More. I want to make it absolutely clear—I had no involvement in this, and I strongly condemn any form of violence. As someone who has always taken trolling in stride, laughed along with it, and shown love even to my critics, I would never encourage or support harm towards anyone, let alone someone from the same creative fraternity,” Veer stated.
Extending his apologies, he assured action against those responsible. “To Pranit and his fans—I am deeply sorry that this happened. No one deserves this. I will personally ensure that whoever was responsible is held accountable. My sincerest apologies again.”
Veer Pahariya recently made his Bollywood debut with 'Sky Force', which hit theatres on January 24. The action-packed patriotic drama is inspired by real-life events, with Veer portraying Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, a Mahavir Chakra awardee.