A month-old video of stand-up comedian Samay Raina has surfaced online, showing him passionately singing ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles on the streets of London.
The clip, shared by street artist Amir Hashmi, is now gaining traction amid the ongoing controversy surrounding ‘India’s Got Latent’.
While the video captures a lighthearted moment of Raina’s impromptu performance with his friend Balraj Ghai, its timing has drawn attention. It emerged at a time when the comedian is facing legal trouble over his involvement in the controversial show ‘India’s Got Latent’.
Catch Samay Raina’s singing video:
The show became the center of a storm after podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia made an inappropriate remark to a contestant, sparking outrage.
Allahbadia’s comment, which posed a disturbing hypothetical question, led to a wave of backlash. As a result, formal complaints were filed against him, Raina, comedian Apoorva Makhija, and the show’s organizers in multiple states, including Maharashtra and Assam.
Amid the controversy, Raina took to Instagram to express his regret. In a heartfelt message, he stated, “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.”
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Despite his statement, the situation escalated as there were multiple FIRs, including one by the Guwahati Police for promoting obscenity. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed legal action, making it clear that the issue was being taken seriously.
The matter reached the Supreme Court on February 18, where Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh strongly condemned Allahbadia’s remarks, calling them “dirty and perverted.”
The judges emphasized that such behavior could not be ignored and warned that popularity should not give individuals the right to take societal norms for granted.
Allahbadia, facing legal heat across multiple states, sought relief from the Supreme Court. While the bench granted him interim protection from arrest, it imposed strict conditions. He had to surrender his passport.
The Maharashtra Women’s Commission welcomed the Supreme Court’s strong stance on the issue. Chairperson Rupali Chakankar commended the decision to halt the controversial shows. She emphasized the need for accountability in digital content creation. The Commission had previously written to the Mumbai Commissioner, urging an inquiry into the matter.