Samay Raina's old joke on Latent triggers backlash, fans cite biryani row
An old India's Got Latent clip shows Samay Raina making a sexual remark after an audience member said his girlfriend left because her father had suffered a minor heart attack. The resurfaced video has drawn criticism.
An old India's Got Latent clip of comedian Samay Raina has resurfaced online, drawing criticism over a sexually suggestive remark made during an interaction with an audience member. The video is now being compared to the recent 'Rs 370 biryani' controversy, with many social media users arguing that both incidents reflect the growing normalisation of misogynistic humour.
The clip, from the first season of India's Got Latent in 2024, began circulating soon after Raina returned with the show's second season.
In the viral clip, a woman attending the show with her boyfriend leaves midway after learning that her father had suffered a minor heart attack. When Raina asks the man why he is not accompanying her, the audience member says his girlfriend had rushed home. As the man remains seated, Raina responds with a sexually suggestive joke implying that comforting his girlfriend would be rewarded with sexual favour. The audience and fellow panellists can be heard laughing at the remark.
After the clip resurfaced, many users criticised Raina for turning an emotional situation into a sexual joke. One user wrote, "'Kandha dega tabhi toh head degi (Go be there for her and comfort her then she'll give head) – Samay Raina to a man whose girlfriend had just left after hearing her father had suffered a minor heart attack."
Another user compared the remark to the recent 'Rs 370 biryani' controversy, writing, "No better than '370 rupai diye hain biryani ke liye vasoolunga toh sahi'. Yes, comedy is not the biggest problem in our country, but such casual locker-room language has become mainstream and contributes to crimes and violence against women. Men get away with this because other men participate and applaud when women are spoken about like that (sic)."
See the post here:
The clip also caught the attention of former MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who reposted it on X, believing it was from the newly released second season. She wrote, "No lessons learnt. But now backed by @NetflixIndia & @YouTube for broadcasting this trash misogynistic content masked as humour. Now waiting for his Gen Z fans to begin their rant in my mentions (sic)."
Here's her post:
The comparisons come weeks after comedian Pranit More's joke around the now-viral 'Rs 370 biryani' incident sparked widespread debate online. While the two incidents stem from different contexts, several users argued they reflected the same style of humour that is now facing greater public scrutiny.
The controversy comes nearly a year after the first season of India's Got Latent ran into legal trouble following controversial remarks made by guest panellist Ranveer Allahbadia. The backlash led to multiple FIRs against Raina, Allahbadia and others, with all episodes of the first season later being removed from YouTube.
Meanwhile, Season two of India's Got Latent is now streaming on Netflix.
An old India's Got Latent clip of comedian Samay Raina has resurfaced online, drawing criticism over a sexually suggestive remark made during an interaction with an audience member. The video is now being compared to the recent 'Rs 370 biryani' controversy, with many social media users arguing that both incidents reflect the growing normalisation of misogynistic humour.
The clip, from the first season of India's Got Latent in 2024, began circulating soon after Raina returned with the show's second season.
In the viral clip, a woman attending the show with her boyfriend leaves midway after learning that her father had suffered a minor heart attack. When Raina asks the man why he is not accompanying her, the audience member says his girlfriend had rushed home. As the man remains seated, Raina responds with a sexually suggestive joke implying that comforting his girlfriend would be rewarded with sexual favour. The audience and fellow panellists can be heard laughing at the remark.
After the clip resurfaced, many users criticised Raina for turning an emotional situation into a sexual joke. One user wrote, "'Kandha dega tabhi toh head degi (Go be there for her and comfort her then she'll give head) – Samay Raina to a man whose girlfriend had just left after hearing her father had suffered a minor heart attack."
Another user compared the remark to the recent 'Rs 370 biryani' controversy, writing, "No better than '370 rupai diye hain biryani ke liye vasoolunga toh sahi'. Yes, comedy is not the biggest problem in our country, but such casual locker-room language has become mainstream and contributes to crimes and violence against women. Men get away with this because other men participate and applaud when women are spoken about like that (sic)."
See the post here:
The clip also caught the attention of former MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who reposted it on X, believing it was from the newly released second season. She wrote, "No lessons learnt. But now backed by @NetflixIndia & @YouTube for broadcasting this trash misogynistic content masked as humour. Now waiting for his Gen Z fans to begin their rant in my mentions (sic)."
Here's her post:
The comparisons come weeks after comedian Pranit More's joke around the now-viral 'Rs 370 biryani' incident sparked widespread debate online. While the two incidents stem from different contexts, several users argued they reflected the same style of humour that is now facing greater public scrutiny.
The controversy comes nearly a year after the first season of India's Got Latent ran into legal trouble following controversial remarks made by guest panellist Ranveer Allahbadia. The backlash led to multiple FIRs against Raina, Allahbadia and others, with all episodes of the first season later being removed from YouTube.
Meanwhile, Season two of India's Got Latent is now streaming on Netflix.
