Mumbai: With the controversy surrounding the crass remarks at India’s Got Latent showing no signs of abating, popular comedian Samay Raina has reportedly cancelled his show in Gujarat.
This came amid threats from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) against him performing in the state and tickets for the show shows scheduled in April are no longer available on platform BookMyShow, PTI reported.
Raina had planned four shows in the state — one each in Surat on April 17 and Vadodara on April 18, and two in Ahmedabad on April 19 and 20.
In a statement, VHP regional secretary Ashvin Patel claimed organisers have decided to cancel these shows due to the recent controversy. “In view of the anger among people, it appears organisers have cancelled Samay Raina’s upcoming shows in Gujarat. We are thankful to the people of Gujarat for showing such alertness. I also ask organisers to refrain from organising events of such people in Gujarat,” Patel was quoted as saying.
Social media influencer Ranveer Allahbadia recently appeared in an episode of India’s Got Latent, alongside content creator Apoorva Mukhija and comics Ashish Chanchlani, and Jaspreet Singh. The controversy erupted after a short clip from the show, showing Allahbadia asking an obscene and inappropriate question to a contestant, went viral.
SELECTIVE OUTRAGE?
On the other hand, Raina’s decision to remove all episodes of the roast show from his YouTube channel has led to an online debate, with netizens questioning the selective outrage while referring to controversial contents aired on Ekta Kapoor’s shows and Bigg Boss.
In a post on X, the comedian said that the backlash was too much for him to handle. “I have removed all India’s Got Latent videos from my channel. My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time,” he wrote while assuring full cooperation with authorities in the ongoing probe.
Raina, however, has sought more time to respond to the Maharashtra Cyber Department’s summons while informing that he is in the US and would return on March 17.
The podcaster, who goes by the username BeerBiceps, also saw nearly 50,000 followers drop on Instagram since the controversy erupted.
STATESMENTS RECORED
Meanwhile, police have recorded statements of four individuals, including social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija and the podcaster’s manager.
Apoorva and Ashish told police that India’s Got Latent was an unscripted show where both judges and participants are encouraged to speak freely. The judges are not paid for their role but can share show content on their social media. Spectators must purchase tickets to attend, and the revenue from ticket sales is awarded to the show’s winner, the ANI reported, quoting police sources.
ASSAM POLICE IN MUMBAI
A team of Assam Police also arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday to investigate the case following a complaint against Ashish, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva, Allahbadia, Raina and others for allegedly promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussion on the show.
The FIR was filed by the Guwahati Crime Branch on Monday.
