Over the last couple of months, comedian Samay Raina's show India's Got Latent made waves, with many saying it was all the industry needed in these times. Snippets of the show, often dark humour and abusive -- dubbed trademark Samay Raina -- frequently went viral.
But on Sunday, a short clip of YouTuber-podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia making a vulgar comment on the platform led to a massive backlash on social media.
Not just that, a police complaint was filed against Mr Raina and Mr Allahabadia, influencer Apoorva Mukhija, and the organisers of India's Got Latent. According to the complaint, filed with the Mumbai police commissioner and the Maharashtra Women's Commission, the accused made obscene and derogatory remarks about women for popularity and financial gain. It also demanded strict legal action and an immediate halt to the show's broadcast, as per news agency ANI.
Mr Allahbadia's remarks sparked outrage, bringing scrutiny to the show and its host Mr Raina, whose style of comedy has often walked the fine line between humour and controversy.
Who is Samay Raina?
Samay Raina was born in Jammu and Kashmir into a Kashmiri Pandit family. At 16, he started uploading comedy videos on YouTube to follow his passion.
He enrolled in a print engineering course at PVG's COET in Pune, Maharashtra, but found it unfulfilling and started performing at open mic events. His first open mic was in August 2017, after which he began opening for comedians like Anirban Dasgupta and Abhishek Upmanyu in Pune.
On a suggestion from comedian Aakash Gupta, he participated in Comicstaan 2 and became the joint winner alongside Gupta.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Raina shifted to streaming chess on his YouTube channel, collaborating with top players and influencers. He first invited popular YouTuber Antonio Radic (Agadmator) and later Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, forming ties with leading chess personalities such as Viswanathan Anand, Anish Giri, and Teimour Radjabov. Chess legends like Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, and Judit Polgar also appeared on his streams.
Mr Raina also organised several online chess tournaments, including the Comedians on Board (COB) series, featuring celebrities such as cricketer Yuzi Chahal. In 2021, he won the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational hosted by Chess.com.
He co-founded the Chess Super League (CSL) with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming, featuring top international and Indian players, with a Rs 40 lakh prize pool.
In June 2024, he launched India's Got Latent, a reality show aimed at critiquing untapped talent, which quickly gained popularity among younger audiences. Following the show's success, he launched an India's Got Latent app, offering unfiltered and uncensored content, which topped charts on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Samay Raina now has over 10 million followers across social media platforms and is preparing for an international tour.
