Unacademy x Samay Raina: Is Raina immune to brand safety concerns?

Unacademy, the ed-tech platform, celebrated its 9th anniversary with a grand event titled ‘Pratishtha.’ The event featured a panel of stand-up comedians, including Ashish Solanki, Samay Raina, YouTube creator Purav Jha, and Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri. While the guest list seemed fitting, the inclusion of Raina—known for his edgy and unsparing humour—stood out as a risky choice.

The event streamed live on Unacademy’s YouTube channel, did not disappoint in terms of entertainment. True to his reputation, Raina pulled no punches, roasting the brand in every conceivable way. His entrance itself set the tone, as he sported a sticker of Unacademy’s competitor, Physics Wallah.

When the host announced a surprise for the brand’s anniversary, Raina’s quick wit shone through. “Oh my god, Alakh sir aa rahe hai!” he quipped, referencing Alakh Pandey, the founder of Physics Wallah. 

He didn’t stop there. Alluding to recent speculation about Unacademy’s possible takeover by coaching institute Allen, Raina humorously remarked that his favourite musician was “Allen Walker.”

The roasts continued. When Ashish Solanki asked Raina if he had come clean-shaven for the event, Raina’s sharp reply was, “Maine bhi kaat liya, jaisa yeh log bachchon ka kaat-te hain” (“I’ve also trimmed, just like they trim students”). His digs extended to educators, suggesting that many of them switch institutes simply for higher pay.

The live-streamed clips have since gone viral across social media platforms. 

This isn’t the first time Samay Raina—winner of ‘Comicstaan’ Season 2—has taken a brand’s marketing stunt and flipped it into a viral moment. During Zomato’s 16th-anniversary roast, Raina turned up wearing a T-shirt from Zomato’s direct competitor, Swiggy. His jokes targeted Zomato’s infamous pop-up notifications and the quality of its customer service.

According to the reports, Zomato planned to upload the full roast on YouTube, but the brand later opted to release only short clips, presumably due to the edginess of the content. 

Raina’s knack for roasting brands isn’t limited to just marketing campaigns. His popular show “India’s Got Latent” has become a valuable IP, with brands queuing up to sponsor episodes despite knowing they’ll be roasted. So far, POP UPI, Spinny, Boldcare, and Wok Tok by Veeba have sponsored episodes.

Unlike traditional influencer partnerships, where brands expect glowing reviews, Raina’s collaborations are refreshingly different. He roasts the very brands that pay him—a move that viewers find far more organic than the usual influencer marketing playbook. The resulting clips go viral. 

In a previous interaction with Arshdeep Chhabra, general manager of marketing at Spinny, once revealed the tangible impact of such a partnership. He shared that after Raina’s introduction of Spinny as a provider of “brand new second-hand cars” in an episode of “India’s Got Latent,” Spinny’s customers started referencing the phrase while taking delivery of their cars.

The success of “India’s Got Latent” has not only propelled Raina but also boosted its contestants. Swiggy recently collaborated with five show contestants—Keshav Jha, Sharon, Naman Arora, Suryansh Tiwari, and Sewashree Burah—to promote its 10-minute delivery service, Swiggy Bolt. 

Despite the inherent risk of being roasted, brands continue to partner with Samay Raina. It remains to be seen how this dynamic will evolve.