In his latest episode of Patriot Act on Netflix, Hasan Minhaj takes on the quagmire of controversies and complexities that is the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In trying to break down the 2019 election for a global audience, Minhaj goes through the Pulwama terror attack, the 2G scam, demonetisation, the jobs report controversy, the Assam NRC, mob lynchings, Yogi âa monk with a gunâAdityanath and the song âTum Paas Aayeâ from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Yes, you read that right.
If you can get past the showâs strong NRI lens, Minhaj makes some cogent points punctured with humour.
1. When they couldnât put up a map of Kashmir while talking about⊠Kashmir
As Minhaj talked about the tension between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack, Netflix did not let Patriot Act put up a map of Kashmir on screen out of fear of being sued by our government.
This is what they showed instead.
âJokeâs on you, India. Americans couldnât even find Kashmir if it were on a map,â said Minhaj.
2. The âeco-terrorismâ of Balakot air strike
Minhaj waded into the minefield that is the Balakot strike, referencing the conflicting reports on Indiaâs air strike, with Pakistan saying the Indian Air Force bombs hit trees.
âPakistan plans to file a complaint with the UN saying that the attack on trees is âeco-terrorismâ. India was like, âWe would have hit something if our maps werenât so blurry. And, just so you know, those trees are terrorists,ââ Minhaj joked.
As one user on YouTube commented, âGood luck in witness protection.â
3. Times Nowâs infamous âNewshourâ debate made an appearance
Minhaj called the cacophony on âNewsHourâ âEvery desi living room talking about politics.â
4. How he summed up Narendra Modiâs political campaign
5. That viral Rahul-Modi hug
6. On Modiâs press-conferences, or lack thereof
âItâs like posting on Instagram and disabling comments,â Minhaj quipped.
7. On Indiaâs Michael Buble
Pictures speak louder than wordsđđŒ.
8. On Shashi Tharoorâs accent
Patriot Act couldnât get anyone from the BJP to appear on the show but Congress MP Shashi Tharoor made a cameo and Minhaj couldnât get over his accent.
âHe sounds like heâs the voice of a wise moose in a Pixar movie.â
9. How he described the RSS âmanifestoâ
This is how wide-ranging the episode was. Minhaj brought up MS Golwalkarâs book Bunch of Thoughts. The former RSS chiefâs book is considered a guide for the right-wing organisation.
On the bookâs title, Minhaj said, âThis doesnât sound like the manifesto of a radical movement. It sounds like the Medium post you write after a divorce.â
10. And, finally, that cricket comment
Clearly, Minhaj knew he would be remiss not to mention cricket.
âWe donât need the threat of nuclear warfare to flex nationalism. Thatâs why we have cricket. India-Pakistan match is nuclear warfare.â
Watch the entire episode here.