Mumbai: Samay Raina has found himself at the centre of an online debate after his recent appearance with Archana Puran Singh on India’s Got Latent.
The comedian poked fun at Archana’s laughter, profession and family, but his remarks did not sit well with several viewers, who accused him of crossing the line.
During the episode, Samay recalled being a fan of Archana since seeing her as Miss Braganza in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
He then shifted the conversation towards her family vlogs and took a dig at her husband Parmeet Sethi and their sons.
“I have seen your vlogs; neither does your husband work, nor do your two ‘nalle sons’,” Samay said.
Archana’s sons were seated in the front row and quickly became part of the exchange.
Reacting to the joke, Archana told them, “I told you guys don’t sit in the front row; this is not how you get fame, this is how you get insulted.”
Samay continued with jokes about Archana’s work and her trademark laughter.
Referring to Parmeet, he said, “And your father (Parmeet Sethi) doesn’t do anything. In her house, reverse patriarchy is happening. Only women are working.”
Archana responded with a sharp comeback: “All over the world women are working, but men don’t call it work.”
The comedian then questioned whether Archana’s role on comedy shows could really be considered work.
When she described it as “the toughest job”, Samay sarcastically asked, “To laugh at Kapil Sharma’s jokes?”
He went on to joke that Archana had only one job and suggested she could lose it after appearing on the show.
Viewers accuse Samay Raina of crossing the line.
Although the comments came during a roast-style exchange, several viewers felt Samay’s jokes went too far, particularly because they involved Archana’s family.
“That was disrespectful, not funny,” one user wrote.
Another commented, “It was seriously disrespectful…I feel sad.”
A third viewer simply wrote, “Insulting someone is not cool.”
Others defended Archana’s contribution to the entertainment industry.
One viewer said, “Being disrespectful is not comedy; she is not famous because of her laugh; she is famous for wonderful movies she made. Zero respect for seniors.”
Another criticised Samay’s style of humour, writing, “Stop glorifying insulting others when what you do is double-meaning vulgar comedy.”
Archana Puran Singh has been married to actor Parmeet Sethi for several years.
Parmeet has featured in films and television shows including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, Laawaris, Laila Majnu, Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, The Magic of Shiri and Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin.
Archana has also spoken about her sons pursuing careers in the entertainment industry, with both reportedly auditioning and working towards establishing themselves.
The family occasionally shares glimpses of their lives through their vlogs.
Archana was last seen in Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya, alongside Kay Kay Menon, Naveen Kasturia, Abhimanyu Singh and Prasanna Bisht.
The series is available to stream on Prime Video.
