Samay Raina’s Gujarat shows ‘cancelled’ amid ‘India’s Got Latent’ row; VHP reacts
Comedian Samay Raina’s upcoming stand-up shows in Gujarat have reportedly been cancelled amid a massive outrage over controversial remarks made by panellists on his YouTube reality show, ‘India’s Got Latent’.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday claimed that tickets for his April performances were no longer available on BookMyShow, news agency PTI reported.
The controversy began after social media influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, popularly known as ‘BeerBiceps’, made comments about parents and sex on Samay Raina’s show. The clip went viral on Monday, sparking widespread criticism and multiple police complaints in Mumbai and Guwahati.
According to Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput, Samay Raina was supposed to perform in Surat on April 17, Vadodara on April 18, and Ahmedabad on April 19 and 20.
“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,” claimed Hitendrasinh Rajput.
In a statement, VHP regional secretary Ashvin Patel claimed organisers have decided to cancel these shows due to the recent controversy. “In view of the anger among people, it appears organisers have cancelled Samay Raina’s upcoming shows in Gujarat. 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,” said Patel.
Ranveer Allahbadia has already apologised for his “lapse in judgement” but the issue has refused to die down.
Samay Raina removes all ‘India’s Got Latent’ episodes
Meanwhile, Samay Raina on Wednesday said he has removed all episodes of India’s Got Latent from his YouTube channel.
In his first response since the controversy, Raina said he will fully cooperate with all the investigating agencies in their probe.
“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, 27, posted on X.
On Tuesday, the controversial episode of the show was removed by YouTube following orders from the central government. India’s Got Latent, which started in June 2024, had aired 18 episodes till now.