PUBLISHED ONSeptember 02, 2025 10:16 AMBYEsther LamLocal comedian couple Rishi Budhrani and Sharul Channa have offered their perspective on the recent controversy surrounding American comedian Sammy Obeid, who alleged his licence to perform in Singapore was rejected due to censorship.
They posted a joint statement today (Sept 2) on social media urging visiting performers to "not be discouraged by this rare incident" and for people to understand Singapore's regulations.
As seasoned professionals in Singapore's live stand-up comedy scene, 41-year-old Rishi and Sharul, 38, stated "every place has their own set of timelines, guidelines, systems and licensing permits", acknowledging that artistes, comedians, authorities and censors "will not always be on the same page".
"However, if your goal as a performer, is to bring your art to the people you create it for, then you play by those rules, however much you may disagree with them, do the needful and make it work," added the couple.
On Aug 27, Sammy announced on his Instagram account that his stand-up show in Singapore on Aug 31 had been cancelled, alleging local authorities of censoring his content. He told his social media followers that he had toned down his script — originally focused on the ongoing war in Gaza — and only included a few references to Palestine and Israel.
The 41-year-old added he had gone through "hours of paperwork" and multiple rounds of revisions before he was allegedly told there was no more time for resubmissions.
In a statement on Aug 28, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) refuted his allegations and said that they never requested edits to be made to the script.
IMDA explained that the Arts Entertainment Licence (AEL) application for his show was rejected due to late submission, not Gaza censorship, as Sammy's representative sent in the application 10 working days before his scheduled show, instead of the required 40 days.
On Sept 1, Obeid was issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma). He will be required to carry correction notices alongside his Facebook, Instagram and X posts published on Aug 27.
Addressing the issue, Rishi and Sharul wrote: "Based on the facts currently available, this doesn't seem like one of those times where the authorities have acted in bad faith, or, to put it bluntly, screwed a performer over.
"By all accounts, it sounds more like an administrative lapse on the part of the performer and their collective team. Unfortunately, a few lines of a leaked call with an unidentified person, with no context, does little to change this."
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The pair acknowledged that while engaging with regulatory authorities "can sometimes be frustrating," such processes are necessary — especially when assigning age-appropriate ratings for performances.
"At the end of the day, you are dealing with human beings who have been, in our experience, contrary to popular belief, mostly reasonable. It has been our experience that if submitted as per the stipulated guidelines, there is room for consultation, discussion and dialogue," said Rishi and Sharul.
They also shared practical tips for comedians when producing a show in Singapore, including booking venues early, engaging a local promoter and ensuring licence applications are submitted in advance.
While the pair agree that there is "most definitely" room for improvement in the overall processes, they expressed that the recent controversy is "not an accurate representation of the current climate on the ground".
"There are many truly talented locally-based and visiting comedians/actors/musicians/theatre practitioners constantly creating good work, constantly pushing boundaries and enjoying a beautiful audience," added the couple.
"We've personally been in rooms where there have been great comedic sets or even theatrical shows on a variety of supposedly taboo topics like race, sex, religion, local politics (and politicians) and even international geo-politics.
"The IMDA has passed these and the crowd has enjoyed these."
They also addressed the ongoing situation in Gaza, stating: "Completely separate from the issue of licensing and production of live comedy shows, it is our hope that the unjustifiable atrocities, the breaches of humanitarian law and the senseless violence in Gaza comes to a halt immediately."
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esther.lam@asiaone.com
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