Comedian Samay Raina’s upcoming stand-up shows in Gujarat have been cancelled following outrage over remarks made by a panellist on his YouTube reality show, India’s Got Latent. According to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), tickets for Raina’s April performances in Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad have been taken down from ticketing platform BookMyShow.
The controversy erupted after a clip featuring social media influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, known as BeerBiceps, went viral. In the video, Allahbadia made comments about parents and sex that triggered a backlash and led to police complaints in Mumbai and Guwahati.
VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput said, “It appears all these four shows have been cancelled due to public outrage against him in Gujarat. Though tickets for these shows were available till morning (of Wednesday) on BookMyShow, it seems they have been now taken down from the portal.”
Ashvin Patel, VHP regional secretary, also issued a statement suggesting that the cancellations were in response to public anger. “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 said.
Ranveer Allahbadia has since apologised for what he called a "lapse in judgement," but the controversy continues to intensify.
Samay Raina pulls down 'India’s Got Latent' episodes
In his first public response, Raina announced on Wednesday that he had removed all episodes of India’s Got Latent from his YouTube channel.
“Everything that is happening has been too much for me 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. I will fully cooperate with all agencies to ensure their inquiries are concluded fairly. Thank you,” Raina posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The government had earlier directed YouTube to take down the controversial episode on Tuesday. Launched in June 2024, India’s Got Latent had aired 18 episodes before its removal.
(With PTI inputs)