Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 15 (ANI): 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’.
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 said “sorry” if he had “actually caused hurt to anyone.”
“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,” he wrote.
Raghu Ram captioned the post with, “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.”
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The controversy erupted after Allahbadia’s remark in a recent episode of the show did not sit well with the audience. During the show, he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents… or join in once and stop it forever?”
Following the backlash, a formal complaint was filed against Ranveer Allahbadia, social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, comedian Samay Raina, and the organizers of India’s Got Latent.
Earlier 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 Maharashtra government on Friday ordered an inquiry into the Ranveer Allahbadia controversy, specifically tasking the cultural department officials to investigate.
The cultural department, headed by Minister Ashish Shelar ordered an inquiry into the Ranveer Allahbadia controversy. This move comes after complaints were filed regarding vulgarity in Allahbadia’s show, “India’s Got Latent,” and other similar shows that have been running without proper permission.
According to the minister’s office, complaints were received by the department about vulgarity in the show India’s Got Latent and other such shows are being run with tickets to the audience without proper permission.
A meeting was convened in the department which was chaired by Minister Ashish Shelar and he has ordered a detailed inquiry after the meeting. (ANI)
