“Hamari nazar, India ki nazar toh bahut time se aap par hai, Kapil. I wish 11 mulko ki police ki nazar nahi perfect chahiye (We and entire India have our eyes on you for a long time. Let’s hope no other country has their eyes on you),” said Monika, referring to the popular dialogue “11 cops mulkon ki” from the hit Bollywood franchise, Don.

Kapil then cheekily replied: ““Ek do mulkon ke gangster bhi lage hue hai aaj kal” (Mafiosi from a couple of countries are also after me nowadays). Kapil made an indirect reference to gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, his gang member Goldy Dhillon and Harjit Singh Laddi of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), who claimed responsibility for the recent Kaps Cafe attacks in Canada.

Immediately after this ironic moment, Kapil asked the media present at the event to cut that reference, only to realize that the proceedings were being broadcast live. While no casualties were reported in any of the three shooting incidents at Kaps Café, they have created a panic situation among Kapil and his team, given the alarming frequency.

However, this is not the first time Kapil has referred to the firing incidents. At the trailer launch of his latest comedy film, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2, in November, Kapil opened himself up to attacks. “The rules are there, and the police, perhaps, do not have the power to control. But when our case happened, it was passed to the federal government and there was a discussion in the Canadian parliament,” Kapil said, adding: “In fact, after each incident, we got a bigger vacancy in the cafe. So it’s okay with me if God is with me.”

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While The Great Indian Kapil Show season 4 is already releasing weekly episodes on Netflix India, it has now been renewed for an unprecedented fifth season despite fall in the ranking. The show also features Sunil Grover, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishesk, Archana Puran Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu.