A recent episode of India’s Got Latent, featuring Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as Beer Biceps, and Apporva, known as The Rebel Kid, has garnered attention for negative reasons. In the show, Allahbadia made a vulgar, disrespectful, and sexist remark. The clip has gone viral.
Azazul Haque, group chief creative officer at Creativeland Asia, made a statement on LinkedIn declaring his resolution to avoid collaborating with what he described as a “empty bunch of scumbags”, in reference to Raina and Allahbadia.
“Just for getting eyeballs stooping down to a level where they are not just discussing but applauding the joke that's about joining your parents in sex!!! I am feeling disgusted beyond one can imagine,” he adds further.
This episode was exclusive to members, yet clips from the show went viral on social media. The controversy deepened when Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Everyone has freedom of speech, but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others. In our society, we have made certain rules; if someone violates them, it is wrong and action should be taken against them.”
Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader, vowed to raise concerns over the show’s vulgar and blasphemous content in the Standing Committee on IT & Communication.
“We need to set boundaries since these platforms influence young minds, and they are passing off absolute rubbish as content. The language used by Ranveer Allahbadia, which was also actively encouraged by others on that ‘comedy panel,’ is unacceptable.”
Following the backlash, Allahbadia posted an apology on social media, admitting, “The comment wasn’t just inappropriate, it was not even funny." He added that comedy isn't his strength and expressed regret. Notably, he received the Disruptor of the Year award from PM Narendra Modi at the 2024 National Creators Award.
The episode was sponsored by Cashify, which remained silent when afaqs! reached out for a comment.
The show has faced controversy before. In one episode, during a performance, the judges made derogatory remarks about differently-abled individuals, sparking outrage on social media.
Banti Banerjee, a contestant, received backlash for ridiculing Deepika Padukone's experience with depression following her transition to motherhood. She also made inappropriate comments regarding the 2024 Kolkata rape and murder case.
During another performance, certain contestants made disrespectful comments regarding guest judge Urfi Javed. They drew comparisons between her and adult actress Mia Khalifa, enquiring about her "body count".
Raina is recognised for his edgy and unsparing humour—often a risky choice—but brands continue to collaborate with him due to the results he delivers. Prominent brands associated with him include boAt, KFC, Spinny, Wok Tok, Swiggy, Blinkit, among several others.
In December 2024, Deepti Karthik, a fractional CMO, said that during her collaboration with Raina in 2022, he charged Rs 5 lakh for a post but made few revisions in accordance with the brand’s guidelines. The post was later removed from the brand's social media page.
Read more: “Samay Raina won't follow brand guidelines, but delivers ROI”
“The post garnered negative sentiment, prompting us to remove it almost immediately, and we regretted our collaboration with him,” Karthik explained. She added, “That post generated sales of over Rs 25 lakh in the following two months, making it the most profitable influencer collaboration we’ve ever done.”
It remains to be seen whether brands will prioritise ROI by collaborating with Raina and Allahbadia or take an ethical stand by distancing themselves.
During a live stream, Raina said that the show is currently operating at a loss; however, he believes that the membership offer will enable him to continue running it.
He also mentioned that OTT platforms are offering him substantial sums to acquire the IP, but he has decided against collaborating with them, as they would control the narrative.
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