Samay Raina's India's Got Latent courts controversy again, this time over jokes on Biharis, Kashmiri Pandits

Comedian Samay Raina has come under fire over remarks made about people from Bihar and Kashmiri Pandits during the latest episode of India's Got Latent, Season 2, according to Hadi Khan’s TOI report.

The episode, released on Friday, featured an exchange between Raina and stand-up comedian Sharon Verma that has drawn criticism after clips began circulating on social media.

What was said on the show


According to TOI, the controversy stems from an exchange that began when Raina introduced Verma to the audience with a joke referencing her Bihar background, saying, "She is from Bihar. She is so Bihari; she thinks 'ebola' means someone said something."

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Verma responded with a joke about Raina's Kashmiri roots, saying, "Samay is so Kashmiri; he loves getting stoned." Raina then added, "Sharon Verma is a Bihari who came to Mumbai in search of a job. Just Bihari things," to which Verma replied, "At least, I left my state by my choice."

BJP MLA reacts

BJP MLA Ram Kadam criticised the remarks, telling TOI that certain individuals make controversial statements purely to gain attention. "There are certain forces in society that deliberately make controversial statements simply to gain publicity. Their sole objective is to become famous. We need to understand that the deities of Sanatan Hinduism and Kashmiri Pandits cannot be treated as subjects of ridicule," he said.

Kadam further said that offensive remarks followed by apologies still serve their purpose. "Someone cannot deliberately do something offensive and then simply apologize afterwards. In the meantime, they get the publicity they wanted across the country for free," he added.

Mixed reactions from Kashmiri Pandits

TOI's report cited mixed reactions from members of the Kashmiri Pandit community. One person downplayed the controversy, saying, "It was a comedy show, and it can be called a comedy show... Now, regarding the conversation they had with each other, when you go to a comedy show, jokes keep happening. One should not take it personally."

Another individual, while calling Raina "a good man," pointed to the sensitivity of the migration reference in the joke, saying, "You talked about migration but migration did not happen. They were forced to migrate."

Exchange with Archana Puran Singh

The episode, which also featured Archana Puran Singh and social media personality Orhan Awatramani (Orry) on the panel, saw another exchange draw attention. During an interaction with contestant AR Tiwari, who performed Bhojpuri shayari and mentioned that he also vlogged, Raina remarked, "Did you say vlog? Vlogging doesn't need talent."

Puran Singh, who is known for sharing family vlogs, responded, "Gaaliyan dena talent hai? (Abusing is talent)," a comment that drew cheers from the audience.

The latest episode comes amid continued scrutiny of India's Got Latent, with clips from the show regularly going viral and sparking debate online.

With inputs from TOI