Himanshu Jangra apologises again, says viral biryani story wasn't totally true

Himanshu Jangra, who has been at the centre of the Rs 370 biryani controversy, has said he regrets attending comedian Pranit More's show in Gurugram. In a video interaction with his former boss, Jangra spoke about the trolling that followed, the impact on his family, and the loss of his job.

The video was posted on Saturday by Starvik Design on Instagram. In it, founder Vivek Vishwakarma is seen speaking to Jangra and asking him how things were at home. Jangra said he had been heavily trolled on Instagram for the past two weeks. He revealed nobody at home or in his hometown knew about the controversy for the first week.

However, Jangra said, his uncle found out about the controversy about a week ago and called him. He said he had asked his uncle not to tell anyone and thought the matter would be forgotten in a few days. Instead, the trolling continued and reached his neighbourhood, where people went to his house and told his parents that their son was making inappropriate comments. He said his parents then called him home and asked what had happened.

According to Jangra, he admitted his mistake and was scolded and counselled by them. He said the situation became worse when they learnt that he had been fired.

Quoting his response in the video, he said, "My parents called me back and asked about it. I accepted my mistake and they scolded me and it was okay even till this point. But then they came to know that I was fired and they became very tensed. Now when I see them I am filled with regret for going on the show."

His explanation on the remarks

When asked about the remarks made during the show, Jangra said he had watched episodes of More's show earlier and decided to attend because it was his first time in Gurgaon.

He said the story he narrated on stage about a girl he had dated was not completely true and that he had improvised parts of it after hearing the kind of stories others were sharing before him. He also said he accepted that the words he used were wrong and apologised for them.

In the video, he said, "The story I spoke about, yes, I dated a girl for a while, but what I said there was not totally true. I improvised bits of it, seeing how the others were sharing their stories. I guess it was my bad luck but I accept that my words were not right and I would like to say sorry for that. I do not have such mentality or intention."

Jangra also said he had always maintained good working relationships with female colleagues. He added that he regretted saying those words on the show.

What Starvik Design said

The caption accompanying the post said every situation deserved context, conversation and clarity. It said Jangra had been invited to share his perspective and address questions around the ongoing discussion, but added that the conversation was not an endorsement of any statement, action or viewpoint. The post also urged viewers to remain respectful and avoid harassing anyone.

Pranit More's apology and the controversy

More, in his own video statement posted earlier, called the episode a lapse in judgement and said he had received a great deal of hate online. He said, "I probably deserve this hate," and added, "I could have stopped him there itself, but I gave him a platform which escalated the situation." He also apologised to those who were hurt and said he was cooperating with authorities in any legal proceedings against him.

The controversy began after a clip from More's Gurugram stand-up show circulated online. In it, Jangra was seen recounting an experience from a date and implying that, after spending Rs 370 on a plate of chicken biryani, he expected something in return from the woman.

The row deepened after a longer version of the interaction surfaced online. That clip showed him describing in graphic detail how he physically grabbed his date and got intimate with her, while More continued to laugh and the audience cheered.