Samay Raina says ‘main iss time bahut pareshaan hoon’, as crowd rallies behind him at live show: ‘We love you’

A video of comedian Samay Raina, seemingly speaking about the ongoing controversy around his show India's Got Latent, is doing the rounds online.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | February 26, 2025 10:42 AM IST

3 min read

Samay Raina is scheduled to return to India in March.

A video of comedian Samay Raina, purportedly filmed at one of his live shows, is doing the rounds online. Samay is currently touring North America, even as controversy erupts around his YouTube show India’s Got Latent back home. Samay and scores of other individuals who have been featured on the show have been summoned by the police for allegedly offending sensibilities with their comments. YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia found himself at the forefront of the controversy, after clips of him making statements perceived as offensive were shared online. The clips originated from an unreleased future episode of the show.

In the video doing the rounds online, Samay can be seen on stage, his image projected on a large screen in the background. He’s wearing his trademark flannel shirt, as he appears to address the controversy. The comments seem to have been made at the end of his show. “Jaane se pehle, ek-do baatein karna chahta hoon (I’d like to say a couple of things before I leave,” Samay said, as the crowd roared. “Pehli baat toh thank you so much for coming out tonight,” he continued, as the crowd rallied behind him. He added, “Baat yeh hai jo tumse kehni hai mujhe bhai, ke main iss time bahut pareshaan hoon (The thing is, I’m very worried at this time).” Someone from the crowd yelled out that they ‘love’ Samay, and the comedian replied that he loves them back. Another person from the crowd yelled an expletive, at which the others laughed.

Also read – Tanmay Bhat jokes about India’s Got Latent controversy, reveals Ranveer Allahbadia isn’t responding to his messages: ‘Wonder what happened’

Samay hasn’t commented on the controversy, although he recently shared a message for his fans on YouTube, when he posted a heart and a hug emoji. Meanwhile, several individuals involved in the matter have already been questioned by the police. Ranveer Allahbadia had initially shared an apology video on Instagram, admitting that his humour was unsavoury, and that he regrets causing offense. He subsequently posted another note, claiming that he and his family have been received threats and that he is terrified for his safety. Others who were a part of the panel of the episode in question are Instagrammer Apoorva Mukhija, and YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani. They have both been questioned by the police.

The case escalated to the CM level, with numerous personalities from the entertainment industry offering their views on censorship and free speech. Meanwhile, Samay has removed every episode of India’s Got Latent from YouTube. The show would consistently garner over 20 million views per episode, and Samay had admitted to rejecting offers from all the major streamers in order to protect his creative freedom.

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