Standup comedian Yash Bhardwaj says he was detained in Dubai for 47 days over comedy reel

Standup comedian Yash Bhardwaj has said that he was detained in Dubai for 47 days by the authorities and later deported to India. Narrating the ordeal in an Instagram post, Bhardwaj said that the detention was triggered by his “harmless” reels on Google Maps not working in Dubai due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East between the US and Iran.

Detention over comedy reel

Elaborating further, Bhardwaj stated in the post last week that because of the reel, he got a call from Dubai Police asking him to report to the headquarters immediately, following which he was detained for 47 days.

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“On March 19, while I was at a gig in Dubai, I got a call from Dubai Police asking me to report to the Dubai Police HQ immediately. Turns out they had an issue with a comedy reel I made about Google Maps malfunctioning in Dubai due to the current war in the region,” stated Bhardwaj.

“It was a harmless, dumb reel - but the authorities did not find it funny. I was detained and arrested as a perceived national security threat, and I spent 47 days in a detention centre,” he added.

Impact on family and finances

Since returning to India, Bhardwaj has also reflected on the impact that the episode had on both his personal life and his family. Apart from the emotional strain and physical hardship, he indicated that the detention period also carried financial consequences.

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“Returned to India on May 5. It wasn’t easy at all for me or my family - it drained us physically, emotionally, and to some extent, financially,” Bhardwaj said.

Back on stage in Mumbai

He further stated that he has gradually resumed normal life and returned to performing after arriving in Mumbai.

“I’m back on track now, and thankfully, so is my family. Mumbai has been kind to me, and I got back on stage much sooner than I expected,” he added.

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Bhardwaj also revealed that he will soon be spending time in Bengaluru, a city he credits with shaping his early journey in standup comedy.

“I’m off to Bangalore for a few weeks - the city where my love for the stage actually began 16 years ago - to kick off a new chapter in my life,” he said in his Instagram post.