Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
India's Got Latent
Indian stand-up comedy show From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
India's Got Latent was an Indian Hindi-language talent show hosted by Samay Raina on YouTube from 2024 to 2025.[1] Inspired by the international Got Talent franchise and Kill Tony, it featured a wide variety of acts including singing, dancing, magic, and comedy.[2] The show was eventually called off by Raina and all episodes were made private on YouTube on February 12, 2025 after a controversy sparked over some obscene comments made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia.
Remove ads
History
India's Got Latent was launched on June 14, 2024 by Samay Raina on his YouTube channel.[3][4] The show and all its episodes were removed from YouTube on February 12, 2025, after a controversy sparked over derogatory comments made by Ranveer Allahbadia.[5] Samay Raina also launched an India's Got Latent app on iOS and Android.[6]
Format
The format of India's Got Latent follows a similar structure to other shows in the Got Talent franchise and that of Kill Tony. Contestants used to perform in front of a panel of judges, who evaluated their acts.[7]
Auditions
The show begins with a nationwide audition process, where contestants from various cities and towns uploads there clip online while performing an act and is reviewed by the selection committee before getting called to the show for stage performance.
Winner mechanism
The unique aspect of India's Got Latent was its contestant rating system. Before each performance, contestants rated themselves. If the average rating given by the judge panel after the performance matches the contestant's self-rating, the contestant wins.[8]
Remove ads
Judges and hosts
Summarize
Perspective
The judging panel typically consisted of celebrities from the Indian entertainment industry. Each judge provided feedback on the performances, while the host interacted with contestants and the audience.[9]
Host
Guest Host
Judge
Guest Judge
Note: "+" represents bonus episodes.
Remove ads
Famous contestants
Winner
Remove ads
Reception
India's Got Latent has gained popularity for its diversity in showcasing talent from different regions of India. The show has been praised for its ability to discover unique talents that might not have been recognized in mainstream entertainment and also the amalgamation of various celebrities as judges which has proved to induce laughter and popularity.[29]
Latent was included in DNA's list of the top 5 crazy shows on YouTube in 2024.[30]
Remove ads
YouTube earnings
Latent is estimated to earn over ₹1.5 crore per month from YouTube memberships, with additional revenue generated from in-stream advertisements on each episode.[31][better source needed]
Controversies
Summarize
Perspective
Rakhi Sawant vs Maheep Singh
Rakhi Sawant threw a chair on stage after getting into an argument with comedian Maheep Singh on an episode of India's Got Latent. Sawant also made a derogatory remark about Singh, after which he left the stage. The episode was eventually released on YouTube as the twelfth episode on New Year's Eve 2024, after undergoing the removal of the scene.[32]
Derogatory remarks against people with disabilities
During Santosh Patra's performance in sixth episode, the judges endorsed derogatory remarks about disabled people.[33][34]
Banti Banerjee
Banti Banerjee was a contestant and a winner on the tenth episode. During her performance, she made several controversial remarks that were initially endorsed by the judges and audience but later sparked an online debate and outrage.
Jokes on Deepika Padukone’s depression
During her performance, Banerjee referenced Deepika Padukone's recent experience of becoming a mother and her past struggles with depression:[35]
"Deepika Padukone also became a mother recently, right? Great. Now she knows what depression really looks like. Actual depression happens when your sleep breaks, and your kid wakes in the middle of the night at 3 am and the kid wants to eat, poop, or play, at any order." - Banerjee said in a viral clip.[36]
She also said she was intentionally mocking the actor's depression due to her breakup.[37] Latent's host Samay Raina also responded to outrage, by saying:
"To everyone who is outraging on Twitter, one request: Could you please outrage in my YouTube comment section so I get some ad revenue from the traction, at least." - Raina wrote on Instagram.[38]
Derogatory remarks towards Urfi Javed
During one of the performances on India's Got Latent, some of the contestants endorsed derogatory remarks on guest judge Urfi Javed, which included calling her a 'b*tch', comparing her with adult actress Mia Khalifa after having a verbal altercation with her over him faking a disability, which eventually led to her walking off the show. The show's main judge Samay Raina didn't intervene and Balraj Ghai was called in to replace her for the last two performances.[39]
Derogatory remarks against people of Arunachal Pradesh
The fifth bonus episode, which debuted in June 2024, faced criticism over racist comments made about Arunachal Pradesh. Contestant Jessy Nabam, a native of the state, joked that her people consume dog meat, and sometimes even their own pets. This remark prompted a resident of Arunachal Pradesh to file a complaint, reportedly leading to an FIR being registered, which termed her comments as derogatory and defamatory towards the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh.[28]
Derogatory remarks against people of Kerala
Comedian Jaspreet Singh has sparked significant outrage with a racist joke about Kerala, drawing sharp criticism from Malayalis across social media in the sixth bonus episode and overall, the last episode of the show. This incident has since gained momentum, with many condemning the joke as offensive and derogatory to Kerala's literacy.[40]
Offensive remarks by Ranveer Allahbadia and removal of the show
On 10 February 2025, podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, popularly known as BeerBiceps, appeared as a guest judge in the sixth bonus episode alongside YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija, and Jaspreet Singh.[14] During the episode, Allahbadia made a remark that sparked widespread controversy. He asked the following question to a contestant:
Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?[41]
The remark led to significant backlash on social media. A police complaint was filed against Allahbadia for "promoting obscenity" and using offensive language. The complaint was submitted to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the National Commission for Women, which led to an inquiry and the registration of an FIR against Allahbadia, as well as Apoorva Mukhija and comedian Samay Raina.[42]
Bharatiya Janata Party leader & Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis commented on the incident, stating,
I have come to know about it. I haven’t seen it yet. Things have been said and presented in the wrong way. Everyone has freedom of speech, but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others... In our society, we have certain rules, and if someone violates them, it is absolutely wrong, and action should be taken against them,[43]
Another BJP leader, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also announced that an FIR had been filed by the Guwahati police against the individuals involved in the incident for promoting obscenity and engaging in inappropriate discussions.[44]
On February 10, 2025, Allahbadia issued a video in which he stated that the controversial segments had been removed from the show, acknowledging that the attempt at humor was not well received.[45] On February 12, 2025, Samay Raina removed all episodes of India's Got Latent from his YouTube channel, stating that he would fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a fair inquiry.[46]
Following this, the Maharashtra Police filled a complaint against Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia for "creating obscene content" and airing it on the shows YouTube channel.[47][48][49]
Apoorva Mukhija reported on social media about receiving threats of being raped & murdered on her social media accounts due to her presence at that episode.[50][51] She was dropped from the list of guests for the International Indian Film Academy awards in Jaipur after the Karni Sena publicly declared its intention to physically assault her in protest of her actions if she arrived in the state.[52] A far-right Hindu outfit in Gwalior declared a bounty of 1 lakh INR to cut off Allahabadia's tongue.[53] Mukhija also exposed about death and rape threats, as well as acid attacks from several trolls for her conduct in an interview and sharing screenshots months later.[54]
The entire controversy around Allahbadia's comments was fanned into a moral panic by India's pro-government media about Indian youth being corrupted by inherently decadent Western values via social media[55][56] after it appeared that Allahbadia had copied that infamous joke from an Australian YouTube channel called The OG Crew where it was directed by an Australian stand-up comedian Sammy Walsh towards Alan Fang, two weeks before Allahbadia endorsed it on the show.[57][58] Some critics have also accused the law enforcement authorities and judiciary of using the controversy as a smokescreen to divert attention from other pressing problems, such as unemployment, corruption, rape and pollution, & the imposition of President's rule in Manipur due to ethnic riots,[56] and questioned the hypocrisy of the judiciary and police about not taking any legal action against political figures who have made derogatory comments about women & hate-speech in the past.[59] Concerns have been raised that the controversy might be used by the BJP government to tighten internet censorship in India.[60][61][62]
On 14 February 2025, a parliamentary committee wrote to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting seeking laws to regulate digital content like podcasts & OTTs in the light of this incident.[63] Supreme Court Judge Surya Kant has remarked that "there is nothing like a fundamental right on a platter," stating that citizens must fulfill their "duty" in order to enjoy their fundamental rights.[64][65][66]
On 3 March 2025, Ranveer Allahbadia was allowed by the Supreme Court to resume airing his podcast on YouTube "The Ranveer Show", on the condition that he will maintain decency on his show.[67] On 7 March 2025, Allahbadia was shown to be dragged by officers of Guwahati Police, after he appeared to give his statements following warrants and summons; the maltreatment by dragging was heavily criticized by several netizens.[68] On 8 March 2025 the Gauhati HC granted anticipatory bail to Ashish Chanchlani in the matter.[69]
Remove ads
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads