Raghu Ram does not regret being on Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent; only rues jokes ‘that caused such hurt’ | Web Series
Actor and TV personality Raghu Ram has spoken about the recent controversy surrounding podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia’s comments on comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube show India’s Got Latent. (Also Read: Bharti Singh defends ‘Gen Z ki pasand’ Samay Raina amid India’s Got Latent controversy: ‘He doesn’t force you to speak’)
Raghu Ram on India’s Got Latent
Taking to his Instagram handle, he mentioned that he does not regret his appearance on India’s Got Latent; however, he pointed out that such jokes should not have been used on the show that ‘caused such hurt’.
Without mentioning the name of Ranveer, he opened up on the entire backlash and shared, “I do not regret being part of IGL. I wish the show had not included some jokes that caused such hurt. Sensibilities of a paying audience in a show can differ from a larger youtube audience. I might have kept some jokes out of the episode, but I am nobody to tell Samay or the makers what jokes to keep and which, if any, words to beep.”
He added that it is up to the makers to decide the content, and he cannot tell or guide them about it, “It is their call, and I’m sure they don’t take that responsibility lightly. Freedom of speech is meaningless without the freedom to offend. Offence is often taken even when none is intended.”
Raghu apologised if he had “actually caused hurt to anyone.” He wrote, “But of course, I am sorry if I have actually caused hurt to anyone. Comedians push boundaries, call out society and speak truth to power while entertaining. But no comedian sets out to hurt sentiments. And they would be the first to apologise if they did. I do hope society maintains a proper perspective on the scale of this issue compared to others that need more outrage.”
Raghu Ram captioned the post, “The news seems to have its own way of reporting the ongoing IGL investigation. Statements I have made are being spun to make it sound different. Since their version is out, I’d like to put out mine as well.”
The controversy
The controversy erupted after Ranveer’s remark in a recent episode did not sit well with the audience. During the show, he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents have sex or join in once and stop it forever?”
Following the backlash, a formal complaint was filed against Ranveer, social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija, comedian Samay, and India’s Got Latent organisers.
On Wednesday, Samay took to his Instagram Stories to share a statement, stating that he had removed all videos of the show from his channel and was “fully cooperating” with the authorities. He also added that his only intention was to entertain people.
“Everything that has been 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,” Samay wrote on his Instagram Story.
The aftermath
On Friday, the Maharashtra government ordered an inquiry into the controversy, specifically tasking the cultural department officials to investigate it.
The cultural department, headed by Minister Ashish Shelar, ordered an inquiry into the controversy. According to the minister’s office, the department received complaints about vulgarity in the show India’s Got Latent and other such shows being run with tickets to the audience without proper permission.
Minister Ashish chaired a meeting in the department and ordered a detailed inquiry after it.
