Samay Raina and Rebel Kid turn the Latent controversy into comic collabs

Yesterday, content creator Apoorva Makhija (aka The Rebel Kid) appeared in a collab reel with comedian Samay Raina for skincare brand Deconstruct. The video, staged as a casual podcast chat, mixed product placement with self-aware humour, including subtle jabs at the India’s Got Latent controversy that previously thrust Raina into the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

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A post shared by Samay Raina (@maisamayhoon)

While Raina has been regularly poking fun at the controversy through his brand content, this marks the first time he has teamed up with The Rebel Kid, who was also pulled into the same online storm involving Ranveer Allahbadia. Known for her sharp satire, meme-led commentary, and unapologetic tone, Makhija’s entry into the fold gives the collab an extra punch of relevance and edge.

Over the past few months, Raina has turned what was once a PR nightmare into a recurring gag, content theme, and even a marketing tool.

Take his earlier reel with Raj Shamani, another podcast-style sketch, this time for Bold Care, a men’s health brand.

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Gently mocking the very moment that once made him a trending topic.

Raina also teamed up with comedian Ravi Gupta in another faux podcast segment to promote a tech platform Airlearn and the format stayed familiar: effortless banter, inside jokes, sly product integration; the blend of relatability and virality.

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Each of these campaigns leans into the same content architecture — part satire, part soft sell. The mock podcast format gives him room to play, recover, and promote, all while staying in character. He’s not denying the controversy. He’s rewriting it, reel by reel.

For brands, this blend of internet humour and self-referential storytelling is gold. It’s casual enough to avoid looking like a hard sell, but sharp enough to convert. Especially when served to an audience fluent in meme culture and meta-jokes.