PM Modi is not weak: Shekhar Suman defends making government remarks on his show

Shekhar Suman said his YouTube show, Shekhar Tonite, is not anti-BJP or anti-government. He said his satire targets the system and those in power, adding that PM Narendra Modi is not "so weak" to object to it.Shekhar Suman said Shekhar Tonite is not anti-BJP. (Credit: YouTube/ Shekhar Suman)New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 16:13 ISTActor and host Shekhar Suman has said there is a “misconception” around his weekly YouTube satire show Shekhar Tonite, and insisted that it is not aimed at the BJP-led government at the Centre. In an interview with India Today's sister channel The Lallantop, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not “so weak” that he or his government would object to the show’s sharp monologues.Suman said his satire is not directed at any one party or leader, but at failures in the system and those running it. He also addressed speculation over the Enforcement Directorate raids on the office of the show’s producer, Dharmesh Sangani, saying he did not connect the action to the programme and had received appreciation from politicians rather than threats.Explaining his stand, Suman compared the government to a class monitor. “If the class monitor lapses, the students would panic and hold him accountable, right? It doesn’t matter who the monitor is,” he said. He added that this had always been his approach. His late-night talk show Movers & Shakers first aired in 1997, when the BJP was in power at the Centre, and returned in 2012, when the Congress-led government was in office.He said his satire has never been aimed at a particular political party. “Like we used to take digs at PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee earlier, we’d take digs at PM Manmohan Singh. We don’t comment on any person or any government, but on the system at large. If you’ve elected someone to lead the system, if they go astray, you point it out to them. That’s why it’s not anti-anyone, but pro-people. We’re just representing people and amplifying their voice. We’ll do that tomorrow as well when someone else would be in power,” he said. Suman said he respects Prime Minister Narendra Modi as much as he respects Congress chief and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. “But when something wrong happens, it becomes legitimate to speak against that,” he said. Speaking about concerns over videos critical of Modi allegedly being taken down from social media, he said, “It happens. It is happening. You can’t hold any person accountable for this, but the system is going wrong somewhere. Those who are leading are just faces. But there should be accountability.”Suman said he did not receive calls from the BJP government asking him to pull down the show. Instead, he said, he got calls of appreciation from a number of politicians. “I don’t think PM Modi is so weak that his government would call me up for such a small show. He’s a very powerful being. There are a lot of other things happening around the globe which warrant his attention far more. There are other sorrows in the world besides Shekhar Tonite,” he said, invoking Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s line from Mujhse Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang. He recalled that after the premiere episode of Shekhar Tonite was released on YouTube, several comments claimed episode two would never be released. “Why? Who’d stop it? PM Modi? He himself has said it multiple times that he likes to be critiqued. So, we took a cue from there. I’m presuming he has a sense of humour, and he wouldn’t take it so seriously. It’s part of democracy, and part of my profession. What we’re saying is in the framework of entertainment and satire. So, there’s no reason for the government to get worried. My show isn’t that important,” he said.Suman said that when he first received calls from BJP politicians, he thought they might be for the wrong reasons. “But that wasn’t the case. Some politicians even visited my home. They’re all honest and sincere people. A lot of people spread this misinformation that it’s an environment of fear, and no one can say anything against anyone. Why can’t they? People are raising their voice,” he said.ED raids on producer’s officeAs Shekhar Tonite gained traction, particularly after Suman’s monologue on the “dictator”, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on the office of the show’s producer, Dharmesh Sangani. Suman, however, said he would not link the action to the content of the programme.“I don’t know. Maybe the producer would’ve had a personal problem. The payment had got delayed, so maybe that’s why. It was a small matter,” he said. He added that he never asked Sangani the reason behind the raids. “You can add two plus two, that why did the raid take place then only? But he’s an individual businessman. He has other dealings also. Like how it happened recently with Vashu Bhagnani. He’s worked with a lot of actors. Similarly, there are hundreds of producers that I’ve worked with. He’s one of them,” Suman said. The ED recently conducted raids on Vashu Bhagnani’s production house, Pooja Entertainment.Suman said Sangani continued to back the show despite the developments. “But I have to laud him for backing it voluntarily because we’d told him it’s a different kind of show,” he said. According to Suman, Sangani told him, “Don’t stop making the show. Keep at it. I’m with you always. Don’t be scared. There’s no reason to worry. It’s a routine thing.” Suman added, “I still don’t think the government is that weak. And if it is, then that’s very unfortunate.”- Ends