Ranveer Allahbadia, a.k.a. BeerBiceps on YouTube, unwittingly made an obscene comment on Samay Raina’s comedy YouTube show, ‘India’s got Latent’ (a parody on India’s got Talent). This sparked a wave of controversy online with netizens calling for regulation and state authorities even calling for legal repercussions for the internet celebrity.
Following an FIR against Allahbadia, Raina and several others who work on the show by the Mumbai cyber department, Allahbadia posted an apology video addressing the remarks and calling them ‘a lapse in judgement’. He also faces continued consequences as the high-profile Bollywood singer B Praak, who was scheduled to sit down on Allahbadia’s podcast, canceled his appointment in light of the controversy.
Samay Raina has now taken down all the episodes of India’s Got Latent from his YouTube channel saying that the controversies were “too much to handle”. “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”, Raina said while announcing the deleting of the episodes.
The wildly disproportionate reaction to the comments made by Allahbadia, sparks a debate on the concept of Cancel Culture, as the seemingly innocuous and brief ‘lapse of judgement has resulted in the YouTuber facing a significant career setback, losing significant following and cancellation of guest appearances. Similarly, several of Samay Raina’s upcoming shows in Gujarat have also been cancelled in the wake of the controversies.
Cancel culture has been a contested topic of debate, with supporters saying that it is important to hold prominent and influential celebrities accountable for their actions, while critics say that it hinders free speech, ruins careers and is used as a tool to discredit and damage reputations for usually redundant reasons. Several netizens were critical of the fact that the parody show became a nationwide topic, taking the spotlight from other more pertinent topics.
What is Cancel Culture?
Cancel Culture is when a prominent personality is shunned or boycotted, usually through social media, due to their actions that are perceived to be unacceptable, demeaning or downright offensive towards a community. The celebrities subject to this scrutiny are termed as being ‘cancelled’.
Some critics claim that cancel culture stifles open discussion, is ineffective, fails to drive meaningful social change, fosters intolerance, or even resembles cyberbullying. On the other hand, some believe the term is often used to discredit efforts aimed at holding people accountable, amplifying marginalized voices, or challenging speech that is itself a form of free expression.
Cancel culture can be linked to the #MeToo movement in the U.S., where social media users began “canceling” or boycotting celebrities and public figures accused of sexual misconduct. In India, however, this trend has emerged repeatedly over the years for entirely different reasons—often highly subjective and seen as restricting creative freedom.
India has witnessed numerous instances where films, web series, and public figures faced backlash and boycott calls over statements or actions deemed offensive by certain groups—often based on flimsy grounds. Recent examples include Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency, which faced backlash in Punjab for allegedly misrepresenting key-figures from 1984 pogroms and the IC814, released on Netflix in August 2024 based on the 1999 Kandahar hijacking, allegedly misrepresenting historical events and potentially hurting national sentiments.
The trend peaked after the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, when industry figures like Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt faced criticism and boycotts for allegedly fostering nepotism, which some believed contributed to the actor’s tragic passing. Sushant’s girlfriend, Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty also faced intense scrutiny and a smear campaign on social media. She was subjected to numerous allegations and media trials, leading to widespread public vilification.
AIB Knockout Cancellation
Before the controversy surrounding India’s Got Latent, a similar incident took place in January 2015 when an AIB (All India Bakch*d) show was uploaded to YouTube and went viral, much like Samay Raina’s recent performance. Following the current uproar, many social media users recalled the backlash over AIB Knockout, a roast comedy show featuring Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. The show faced widespread criticism from various segments of society for its use of offensive language.
The uproar surrounding AIB Knockout reached a point where activist Santosh Daundkar filed an FIR against 14 individuals who participated in the show. The list of names in the complaint—featuring prominent Bollywood figures like Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Alia Bhatt—was a clear indication that AIB had made its mark on the mainstream stage.
However, the show’s operations were halted in 2018 after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against comedian Utsav Chakraborty who was an regular collaborator on the show. It was also alleged that one of the show’s founder Tanmay Bhat, was aware of the allegations yet still continued to collaborate with Chakraborty. A year later in 2019, the show was officially declared dead.
AIB’s lawyer, Karuna Nundy, responded to the controversy on X, listing some pointers, mentioning that the life of a tasteless joke is short and that of a registered FIR is long.
She went on to write, “People file criminal complaints because of a news cycle, for their day in the sun. Same clip watched alone? Most cases the disgust would just pass.”
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Manbilas Singh is a talented writer and journalist who focuses on the finer details in every story and values integrity above everything. A self-proclaimed sleuth, he strives to expose the fine print behind seemingly mundane activities and aims to uncover the truth that is hidden from the general public. In his time away from work, he is a music aficionado and a nerd who revels in video & board games, books and Formula 1.
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