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Journalism of Courage
Comedian Samay Raina, the creator of India’s Got Latent, has not appeared to be bothered by the criticism over a joke by a woman contestant about Deepika Padukone’s depression. In response to the massive social media anger, Raina made a lighthearted comment on Monday, jokingly asking people to use their anger to his advantage.
On his Instagram Stories, Samay shared a Reddit notification about the controversy, which read, “Comedian’s joke on Deepika’s depression sparks outrage.” In his post, he wrote, “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?” He also included a link to the YouTube video of the India’s Got Latent episode where the joke was made.
See Samay’s story:
The recent incident on the show has sparked controversy after a woman contestant, Bunty Banerjee, made a remark about Deepika Padukone. She said, “Deepika Padukone also became a mother recently, right? Great, now she knows what depression really looks like.” After pausing for a moment, she added, “I am not trying to insult breakup-wala depression… I am.”
Social media users immediately criticised the remark, claiming it was insulting to Deepika and anyone dealing with mental health issues. As noted by many, the joke trivialised clinical depression, a severe illness that is still stigmatised globally. Seeing a woman trivialise another woman’s hardships was particularly depressing for some.
Samay, aong with fellow panellists Tanmay Bhat, Raghu Ram, neurologist Dr Sid Warrier, and comedian Balraj Singh Ghai, could be seen laughing along as the remark was made. This only fuelled the criticism, with many online users accusing them of downplaying a deeply sensitive issue. Despite the uproar, India’s Got Latent continues to be known for showcasing edgy and unconventional comedy.
