The Ranveer Allahbadia Controversy | Samay Raina | India's Got Latent | Dhruv Rathee

Summary

In a fiery discussion led by Dhruv Rathee, the controversy surrounding YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia and comedian Samay Raina is dissected. The transcript highlights how a tasteless joke spiraled into a nationwide issue, drawing in political figures and mass media, while addressing broader aspects of cultural and comedic ethics. It illustrates a clash between vulgar humor and societal values, examining how such content influences cultural norms and individual behavior.

Highlights

• Ranveer Allahbadia faced FIRs and political criticism for an obscene joke, causing a national controversy 📜
• Samay Raina's show 'India's Got Latent' was pulled from YouTube amidst the uproar 🚨
• The controversy reflects how humor intersects with societal values, questioning what's acceptable 🤔
• Threats and public outrage highlight the power of content to influence and offend ✊
• Throughout, there's an ongoing debate on whether banning or self-regulation is the solution to tasteless humor 🤔

Key Takeaways

• Controversial jokes can spiral out of control, attracting legal and social ramifications 🎭
• Vulgar comedy often targets societal taboos and can reinforce negative stereotypes 😬
• Public outrage over insensitive content highlights deep cultural clashes 🎤
• Comedians like Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia face severe backlash, emphasizing the public's intolerance for certain humor types 🤬
• There's a debate whether comedic content should be regulated or if self-censorship is the key 🔍
• Social media platforms can become battlegrounds for cultural wars where comedians tread lightly ⚔️
• The discussion suggests a division between freedom of expression and societal decorum ✌️

Overview

In a charged narrative, Dhruv Rathee delves into the fallout from an offensive joke made by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, alongside comedian Samay Raina. This joke, which many found distasteful, sparked a countrywide debate involving political figures, legal actions, and raising questions about the state of comedy and culture in India. The issue raises significant concerns about freedom of expression versus cultural respect, where lines of humor should be drawn, and who gets to decide what's funny and what's offensive.

As the controversy unfolds, it becomes clear that not only legal but also societal pressures play a significant role in determining the limits of comedy. The narrative expands on how comedians should navigate these new pressures in a modern landscape that's increasingly critical of offensive humor. Interestingly, the drama also underscores the deeper cultural conversations happening in India around what content aligns with societal values and what crosses the line into vulgarity.

This exposes a broader cultural reflection on what kind of comedy is consumed in India. As comedians face the risks of crossing sociocultural boundaries, the call for a more conscious approach to humor seems evident. While some argue for stricter regulations, others push for greater self-awareness among content creators, urging a balance that respects the complexity of humor as a medium of expression while being mindful of its societal impact.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction In this chapter, the text explores the backlash faced by individuals like Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia due to their controversial content. Despite previously being celebrated for their popularity and content, a controversial joke has shifted public perception, leading to threats and accusations of disrespect towards women and cultural values. This highlights the volatile nature of public opinion and fame. Filmstars and other influencers become wary, understanding their rise and fall can be influenced by societal reactions.
• 00:30 - 01:40: Film Industry and Social Issues The chapter delves into the interplay between the film industry and social issues, highlighting the perceived superficiality of its contributions to societal change. It criticizes the industry's focus on superficial image management, such as making token gestures like tweeting on national holidays, rather than engaging with deeper social issues. The text further laments how serious issues like law and order are undermined by the government's actions, allowing criminals to gain media fame while trivial matters like a Bollywood actor's joke attract disproportionate legal attention. This reveals a skewed set of priorities in both media and governance.
• 01:40 - 02:10: Ranveer Allahbadia Controversy Overview In this chapter, the controversy surrounding YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia is explored. Specifically, it addresses an inappropriate question he posed, which became highly controversial across India. The question resulted in numerous First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in multiple states, ranging from Maharashtra to Assam. The incident was significant enough that Chief Ministers made public statements about it, emphasizing the obscene nature of the comments. Furthermore, the controversy led to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) being filed in the Supreme Court and was also discussed in the context of Samay Raina's show 'India's Got Latent.'
• 02:10 - 03:20: Mob Mentality and Death Threats The chapter discusses the severe consequences faced by individuals involved in a controversial show, which has led to significant media uproar and the removal of all its episodes from YouTube. The show's editor is singled out and blamed, illustrating a dangerous mob mentality. Additionally, Ranveer and Samay, associated with the show, receive public death threats. One threat explicitly states that no security or worldly power can protect Ranveer if encountered in Mumbai. The situation escalates to the point where police visit Ranveer's home on 14th February.
• 03:20 - 05:00: Impact of Dank Comedy Ranveer faces backlash as his house remains locked and his phone is off. He's cooperating with authorities after making an insensitive comment about parents. Despite apologizing through video and a post, he's receiving death threats and fears for his family's safety.
• 05:00 - 10:00: Case Studies and Examples In the chapter titled 'Case Studies and Examples', the narrative centers around Samay Raina, who faces challenges that lead him to remove all episodes of 'India's Got Latent' from his channel. Simultaneously, Maharashtra's Cyber Cell has reportedly filed cases against 30-40 individuals associated with the show from its inception. This situation raises questions about the justification of such reactions to the show's content, particularly its style of humor.
• 10:00 - 13:50: Toxic Masculinity and Comedy The chapter delves into the interaction of toxic masculinity within the realm of comedy, particularly focusing on societal responses to controversial jokes. A main argument from supporters of vulgar comedy is the phrase 'it's just a joke,' insisting that humor should not be taken too seriously or criticized to avoid being labeled as overly sensitive or 'woke.' The discussion includes the example of Anurag Thakur's 'Goli Maro' slogan, highlighting how some people disregard criticisms and downplay offensive content.
• 13:50 - 16:40: Shock Value and Repression The chapter titled "Shock Value and Repression" begins with a discussion on the defense often used in cases of controversial statements or content. Specifically, the narrator mentions a hate speech case where the comment was dismissed by a judge because it was made with a smile. The chapter goes on to explore the common argument that movies, songs, and jokes shouldn't be taken seriously because they are 'just entertainment.' However, the narrator argues that these forms of media do have significance and that everyone is influenced by their environment, a theme consistent with previous videos by the narrator.
• 16:40 - 20:00: Role of Politics and Media The chapter discusses the influence of politics and media, particularly focusing on the fragile minds of both young and adult individuals. It argues against the idea that a person's ideology is predetermined by genetics from birth, emphasizing instead the significant role of environmental factors in shaping one's beliefs and behaviors. The chapter suggests that while genetics may contribute to certain traits, how these traits are expressed is greatly influenced by environmental interactions. The text hints at further exploration of this topic in another segment, using a past example involving content creator Elvish Yadav to illustrate the point.
• 20:00 - 24:10: Censorship and Boycotts In this chapter titled "Censorship and Boycotts," the focus is on the objectification and disrespect towards women, particularly in the context of a car showroom. The narrative criticizes people who forget the humanity of salesgirls, who are someone's family members, while trying to buy a car. It brings into spotlight the derogatory humor used in Kapil Sharma's comedy show where he inappropriately inquires about the rates for Russian women, thus highlighting issues of sexism and commodification.
• 24:10 - 27:20: Punching Up vs. Punching Down in Comedy The chapter titled "Punching Up vs. Punching Down in Comedy" explores the behavior of certain comedians and the implications of their jokes. A key focus is on how Indian comedian Harsh Gujral uses Russian culture and stereotypes as material for his jokes, which often involves objectifying women. Specific instances include videos with titles suggesting Russian women are only 'available' through certain connections, highlighting a troubling trend of commodification and disrespect. The chapter questions the ethical boundaries of comedy when such jokes risk promoting harmful stereotypes and behaviors, underlining the importance of comedians understanding the power of their words and the potential to punch up rather than down.
• 27:20 - 28:30: Call for Responsible Content Creation The chapter titled 'Call for Responsible Content Creation' discusses the irresponsible and insensitive content being created and shared on social media. It highlights a trending joke about 'Russians for ₹6,000' that went viral, resulting in numerous comedy videos referencing this phrase. The chapter illustrates the real-life impact of such content through the experience of Indian YouTuber Mithilesh Backpacker, who was confronted while in Udaipur with his Russian wife Liza and their child. This incident underscores the need for content creators to be mindful of the messages they send out into the world.
• 28:30 - 30:30: Conclusion The chapter titled 'Conclusion' presents various interactions and incidents related to Russians in India, particularly focusing on their perception and interactions with locals. An incident is highlighted where some men making a comment about ₹6,000, possibly in reference to Russians as a group. The chapter also showcases a scene where a Russian blogger interacts with Indians, asking their opinion on Russian people. The response amusingly ties Russians to the figure ₹6,000. Furthermore, a mention is made of a Russian content creator, Polina, who got married in India, indicating a deeper personal connection formed between Russians and Indians.

The Ranveer Allahbadia Controversy | Samay Raina | India's Got Latent | Dhruv Rathee Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 "They're insulting Samay Raina's mother and sisters" "telling him to learn how to respect women." "They're giving death threats to Ranveer Allahbadia to tell him" "to learn to respect our culture." "Repressed people laugh like maniacs when they hear this," "asking each other whether they paid attention," "that the words was supposed to mean something else." "Everyone respected the rising sun." "Everyone respected him when he got millions of views." "Everyone respected his cringe content." "But now, after one such cringe joke," "Ranveer and Samay have now become a taboo for all." "Filmstars are now busy"
• 00:30 - 01:00 "selling tobacco products disguised as cardamom." "Don't ask them to make inspiring films." "They're happy with their twice a year tweets" "on 15th August and 26th January." "They aren't concerned about the country beyond that." "It's just a film." "It's just a song." "It's just a joke." "They government has made a mockery out of law and order." "Anyone can threaten to kill someone on social media," "no consequences." "Criminals are given a spot on Bigg Boss," "nothing happens." "But one of Ranveer's obscene jokes," "and he seems to have attracted the entire police force."
• 01:00 - 01:30 Hello, friends! An obscene and tasteless question asked by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia became the biggest controversy in our country. "Whoa!" "What are you even saying, Ranveer?" "Or would you join in once and stop it forever?" This question resulted in multiple FIRs across states from Maharashtra to Assam. Chief Ministers gave statements about it. "Some things have been said and presented obscenely." A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court and Samay Raina's show, India's Got Latent,
• 01:30 - 02:00 all its episodes have been removed from YouTube. The uproar in the media is at a different level. Look at the editor of this show, and how he was treated. "You were the one to edit it." This shows a dangerous mob mentality. Death threats are being issued to Ranveer and Samay publicly. "If I meet this person anywhere in Mumbai," "then neither any security team nor any worldly power can protect him." On 14th February, the police went to Ranveer's house.
• 02:00 - 02:30 His house was locked. Ranveer's phone was switched off. In an Instagram post Ranveer said that he and his team were cooperating with the authorities. And they would follow the due process. Saying that his comment on parents was insensitive and disrespectful. He said that he genuinely feels sorry. Ranveer has already apologised through a video. In his post. he further states he is receiving death threats. People want to hurt his family as well. Some people pretended to be patients and went to his mother's clinic. He wrote that he's scared and doesn't know what to do.
• 02:30 - 03:00 But he won't run away. Samay Raina also tweeted that things are getting very difficult for him to handle. He removed all the episodes of India's Got Latent from his channel. But it's not just about these two. Maharashtra's Cyber Cell has reported that they have filed a case on 30-40 people. Those who have been the guests of this show from the first episode. Obviously, this begs the question, is this reaction justified? The crass comedy shown in India's Got Latent
• 03:00 - 03:30 how does it affect our society? Let's understand this in this video. The people who support the vulgar comedy like that in India's Got Latent, their biggest argument is that it's just a joke. Jokes need to be treated as jokes. And if someone calls them out and tells them that such jokes are offensive they tell the critics not to be too woke. In fact, when Anurag Thakur coined the 'Goli Maro' slogan,
• 03:30 - 04:00 even the judge of the hate speech case said that the comment was made with a smile, so it's not a big deal. "It's okay because it's a joke." When I criticise such movies, people use the same defence. "It doesn't matter because it's just a film." Singers said that "it's just a song." Comedians say that "it's a joke." But the truth is, friends, these do matter. Every person is the product of their environment. I have talked about this in my older videos too.
• 04:00 - 04:30 Most people, whether they are under 18 or older, their mind is very fragile. If films, songs, web series, jokes, YouTube videos don't matter, then does a child carry his ideology in his gene from the moment he is born? Obviously, no. In fact, the traits that are genetic, environment has to play a significant role in their gene expression too. Let's get into the science behind this in another video. For now, let's understand this with a direct example. Last year, I made a video about Elvish Yadav in which I called out how Elvish and his friends
• 04:30 - 05:00 were objectifying some Russian salesgirl. "When you go to buy a car, you seem to forget that the salesgirls are also someone's sister or daughter. She's working to earn a livelihood. It doesn't allow you or your friends to gawk at her like vultures." "The Russians are here." Kapil Sharma, in his family comedy show, asked about the "rates" of Russian girls. "Where are you from?" "I'm from Russia." -"Russia? Russian?" -"Yeah." "₹15,000."
• 05:00 - 05:30 Look at another sample of such creep behaviour. "We are from India," "but we appreciate Russian culture." A third video which is titles, 'Akshay Kumar brought beautiful Russian girls for Kapil' "We get to see these girls only when we have Akshay Kumar with us," "they aren't available in the market normally." I didn't know that Akshay Kumar works this closely with girls. Harsh Gujral crossed all limits. He made this his signature dialogue. One can get a Russian for ₹6,000. "You can get a Russian for ₹6,000."
• 05:30 - 06:00 "You can get a Russian for ₹6,000." "You got a room for ₹50,000?" "You could've gotten so many Russians instead." Because of these people, social media was soon flooded with so many comedy videos, that mentions "Russians for ₹6,000." And what was the real-life impact? Look at this. "Call the police!" -"Don't call the police." -"No, call the police!" "I heard the '6,000 INR' comment you made." Indian YouTuber Mithilesh Backpacker was in Udaipur with his wife. His wife Liza is from Russia. They had their child with them too.
• 06:00 - 06:30 Some men were following them and then they made this comment when they got close enough. "₹6,000." "₹6,000?" This wasn't a one-off incident. Look at this. A Russian blogger talks to some Indians. "I have a question." "What do you think about Russian people?" "Russians." "Russians in ₹6,000." Another Russian content creator, Polina, who got married in India,
• 06:30 - 07:00 in an interview with Lallantop said that she gets such "₹6,000" messages and comments. "The comments aren't good." "₹6,000" "₹4,000" "Many such comments." "But I don't care." "I mean, these people say ₹6,000," "but these people can't even earn ₹6,000." Now do you understand the impact of this so-called dank comedy? Samay Raina's India's Got Latent was also full of such filthy language, vulgarity, and nonsense. A woman was called a b*tch in an attempt to roast her.
• 07:00 - 07:30 Now the dank fans of this show will say that this was said to Kusha Kapila. So why should anyone else be bothered by it? First of all, Kusha was the first to object to this. She said that the jokes were crossing the boundaries of a roast. Calling them "shockingly unkind jokes." "A lot of boundaries," "even in the context of stand-up," "even in the context of a roast," "were crossed." "That shouldn't have happened." She kept her calm in front of the live audience and technicians,
• 07:30 - 08:00 but playing it on YouTube in front of hundreds of thousands of people, is like dehumanising her. In an interview, she also said that Samay Raina's fans kept trolling her for a long time. "Just like these guys are so vocal while supporting Samay, they are vocal in my comment too." "They did it for the whole year." "I don't care about this now," "but when it was new," "it bothered me a lot." Secondly, even though a specific girl was being roasted, calling a woman a b*tch or a gold digger directly reinforces a stereotype set by toxic masculinity.
• 08:00 - 08:30 It normalises using such vile language against women. People who watch this sort of comedy, use these words for women even in real life. It's the same for Gurleen Pannu. A girl with a robust physique, is called a man and teased. This is also a symptom of regressive thinking. Other girls who watch this show, how will it impact their self-image? This is applicable to films as well. People's weight, height, complexion, financial status
• 08:30 - 09:00 and even disability are mocked. Doing this shatters the self-image of millions of people. People who are actually short, fat, have darker skin or some disability are bullied in real life because such jokes have normalised these. Once, Samay Raina made a joke on a poor child. "A poor child came to me." "And I gave him ₹2,000 out of nowhere." "For fun." "It doesn't happen very often, but I gave him ₹2,000." "As soon as I gave him the ₹2,000 note,"
• 09:00 - 09:30 "10-15 children came running" "some grabbed him, some were pulling him," "some were pushing him, and a fight broke out." "One of the children fell down on the tracks," "and was crushed by a train." "That was ₹2,000 well spent." [Audience laughing] "It was so fun to watch." "I couldn't have gotten it on Netflix."
• 09:30 - 10:00 "It was just a joke, okay?" "I don't give money to poor people." What did this joke achieve? The poor are being dehumanised. Joking about the death of children is being normalised. Some people will call it dank humour, but in reality, the only purpose of such so-called jokes is to shock the audience. To say such disgusting things that would shock any person with how could something like that be said. The question that Ranveer Allahbadia asked, the root of this controversy,
• 10:00 - 10:30 it's sole purpose was to shock people. Saying disgusting things to shock people, making them share it with their friends, increase the views and engagement. A similar thing is rage baiting. It means doing or saying something intentionally that would make people angry. Samay has often used rage baiting. Like this example. People were speaking out against firecrackers, so Samay talked about bursting a lot of firecrackers. To tease and challenge others, to stop him if they can.
• 10:30 - 11:00 The same tactic is used by all the tasteless reality TV shows like Bigg Boss. To invite such people on the show, whom people will be angry to see, whom people will be shocked to see. Rakhi Sawant, Elvish Yadav, Maheep Singh, Poonam Pandey, Rajat Dalal, Urfi Javed. The format that these tasteless TV shows were following, was the one that India's Got Latent used. It's truly unfortunate that a large chunk of people on social media, are trying to adopt such cheap practices, to get fame and money. They create videos full of profanity,
• 11:00 - 11:30 get into goon behaviour to appease people's rotten mindset, they don't care whether anyone respects them or not. But friends, do you know the reality? Such fame won't help them. The way they go viral overnight, their downfall comes as quickly as that. The truth is, you need to work hard to get long-term success on social media. With the right knowledge, skills, and hard work, without vulgarity, without appeasing the rotten mentality, without making a mockery out of yourself, it's possible to be successful. I've taught this in my YouTube Blueprint Course.
• 11:30 - 12:00 It's a 7-hour-long highly detailed course, which teaches you all the required skills you'd need to be a successful content creator, such as film-making, research, video editing, understanding YouTube analytics, choosing your niche; I even talk about all my secrets that I learned over my 10 years long career. Using which this channel grew from 0 to 27 million. It's one of the biggest educational channels in the country. In this course, I won't talk about only my niche,
• 12:00 - 12:30 I'll tell you about several niches where you can get similar success. I have built a successful channel in the vlogging niche. I've made travel documentaries for DW Travel, and made shows for Netflix too. I didn't have any special, by-birth talent to accomplish all of this, these skills can be learned. If you're interested in making content creation your part-time job or full-time career, do check out this course. Use the coupon code CREATE44 to get 44% off.
• 12:30 - 13:00 You'll find the link in the description below. Or you can scan this QR Code too. You don't need to trust me. here you can see the reviews of some of the people who took this course. And their feedback. "I completed your course today," "it's nice." "I learned so many things, like ideas, and niche topics." "All the aspects that can be there for a YouTuber" "are there in terms of how to grow," "how to earn, what are the stresses," "what are the challenges." "And the best part was that" "you've connected your life journey in this course,"
• 13:00 - 13:30 "the examples you used were your own." "You're among the best in the business." "Which is why I decided to learn from a young teacher like you." "After completing this course, I don't think I'd need any other courses." "One thing that I learned in this course," "something I was confused about for years," "first of all, my niche." "second, how to do what, the timing." "Especially, I really appreciate your KineMaster hack." The coupon code is CREATE44 the link is in the description below, and now let's get back to our topic. We were talking about cheap content.
• 13:30 - 14:00 You'd know about Poonam Pandey. Even though the Gen Z might not know the name of the President of India, everyone knows Poonam Pandey. The great Indian woman who said that if Team India won the match, she would take off her clothes. And this statement was enough to make her an internet personality. How? The shock value. Rakhi Sawant is the most seasoned player in this context. When she came on the show, she presented her dank humour. When she was on the India's Got Latent panel, they were applauding jokes about 'how's mom' and 'how's dad'. So one of the biggest questions here is
• 14:00 - 14:30 even if we try to understand the jokes based on shock value, but why do people like such vulgar jokes so much? 2-3 weeks ago, I sent this episode with Rakhi Sawant to my researcher Vijeta Dhaiya. I asked him how funny it was. He said that he couldn't tolerate it for more than 10 minutes. It wasn't funny to me either. But videos like this have 20-30 million views. So many people like these. What could be the reason behind it? Actually, the common thing between us is that we do not insult other people's mothers and sisters. This isn't just about the video.
• 14:30 - 15:00 We don't talk like that even offline. Neither when I'm angry nor when I'm with my friends, do I ever use such filthy language. Because I understand what these words and phrases truly mean. To put it simply, these phrases work to normalise the rape culture in the society. Just like vulgar films and songs. Those who understand this, automatically lose their minds when someone says stuff like these. "You think I'll be impressed by the filth you speak." "I'm not at the age where I'll be impressed by censored words." "I'm not 14 that I'd laugh when someone says a word they're not supposed to."
• 15:00 - 15:30 "I'm not impressed by bad language." "If you want to make me laugh," "then do it without hurting anyone." "I'll enjoy it you can make me laugh with that." But the unfortunate fact is that most people in the society don't understand this. A father tells his son not to use such language, but the father does it. A son learns that he should not use the language in front of his parents or teachers, but it is not inherently wrong. Because he hears his parents use such language around him. Social media, movies, web series, comedy, memes,
• 15:30 - 16:00 these create an environment where if you don't use such language when you're with your friends, then it's not real friendship. Using such language is manly. Using such language is cool. This is what people take into their adulthood, that it is okay to use such language when angry. You can see a direct example of this even today but it is only a measure of stupidity. Right wing trolls are cursing out Samay Raina insulting his mother and sisters, telling him to learn to respect women. Ranveer Allahbadia is receiving death threats and insults,
• 16:00 - 16:30 while telling him to learn to respect our culture. This should tell you how society reacts towards such languages. It's acceptable when you're angry. Or when you're with your friends. But there's a barrier that one shouldn't use such languages in front of parents or teachers. Never openly. Even in the school classrooms, if a boy sitting on the last bench says something profane loudly that can be heard by everyone, it makes that boy the hero of his class. Very dank, very cool. If a boy wears a t-shirt with profanity,
• 16:30 - 17:00 he feels that he has done something very dank. Then there's Honey Singh's song, "Party all night, party all night," "make it stop it you have the guts" When these repressed people hear this, they laugh mischievously, asking each other whether they listened carefully. Because it wasn't about the guts, it was something else. LOL Then there's Badshah's song, "Come, baby, come, let me play the music," this pleases this kind of people because apparently, he's talking about playing something else. LOL Some people even look down on Honey Singh and Badshah, because they hide behind double meaning. These people want to do it openly.
• 17:00 - 17:30 And such cringe songs get 45 million views. Basically, these are the same repressed people who like Honey Singh's songs, who like Elvish's content, and who like this kind of dank comedy. They enjoy dancing to songs about what's hidden in women's attire. They follow Poonam Pandey, listen to vulgar songs. So, when there's profanity in comedy, such a repressed society will definitely enjoy it. In a recent film, Mrs. it was shown that the married couple was being intimate, but the wife cannot talk about her pleasure with her husband.
• 17:30 - 18:00 Why? This is Repression. Those whose mind is filled with vulgar thoughts 24 hours. Those who go to watch films with nudity in cinema halls. If you talk to them seriously about such issues, they will get awkward. Because when teenagers learn about intimacy secretly by watching porn, their perspective about intimacy would be secretive, filled with guilt and awkwardness. In most schools, biology teachers lack the courage to openly talk about sex education in class. On top of that, if there's a film like Oh My God 2,
• 18:00 - 18:30 then such films, made for teenagers, are given an adult rating by CBFC. That's why repression continues to remain in their minds. And the dank comedy shown in India's Got Latent was appeasing to this repression. Samay knew that using profanity in front of these repressed people would be appreciated. Some unoriginal filmmakers and people in Haryana's music industry know this. That's why in many industries accros our country, there is a competition of who can be more vulgar. No one wants to change society's wrong mindset. Everyone wants to appease it for their own benefit.
• 18:30 - 19:00 Politicians are doing this, the media does this, filmstars are doing this, and many YouTubers and comedians are also doing this. Filmstars are busy selling tobacco products in the guise of cardamom. They don't want anyone to tell them to make inspiring films. They're happy with tweeting twice a year on 15th August and 26th January, they don't care about the country beyond that. It's just a film, it's just a song, it's just a joke. The media and politicians are the biggest opportunists in this whole controversy. As long as Ranveer Allahbadia was interviewing politicians, promoting them,
• 19:00 - 19:30 everything was okay. The government was enjoying it too. Prime Minister Modi was giving him the Creator Award. But as soon as he was involved in a controversy, and people got furious with Ranveer, the politicians realised that it would benefit them to criticise him. That's why they are now doing their best to criticise him. Everyone respects the rising sun, They liked him when he got millions of views. They liked his cringe content. But now, after one cringe joke, everyone is disgusted by Ranveer and Samay.
• 19:30 - 20:00 I had gone to play chess on Samay Raina's show. Because I was never disgusted by him. If he calls me again for something right, like playing chess or participating in a respectable comedy show, I will definitely go. I did a podcast with Ranveer once. I met him at several events. I have no personal enmity with him. But at the same time, I won't back down from criticising his content. If I feel that he does something unsavoury, I'll criticise him. The government knew this. Ranveer Allahbadia promoted several unhelpful things in his podcasts.
• 20:00 - 20:30 "If we have toilets in the northern directions, just put a blue coloured tape around the toilet seat. Put the blue tape all around it. A green tape if it's in the east, red, if it's in the south, and white if it's in the west. That's all, no need to restructure anything." But now it's laughable to see people like Arnab Goswami are accussing Ranveer of commodifying Hinduism. "And he has presented Hinduism in a way that he feels is sellable. Haven't Arnab and his peers in media done the same for years?
• 20:30 - 21:00 This comes across as Arnab being jealous. The regressive mindset they appeased to get higher TRP, Ranveer appeases the same regressive mindset to get views. After this controversy, some people are questioning the media. Are there no real issues that the media can talk about? Is this the only concerning issue in our country? I would like to ask when was the last time the media talked about the issues faced by the average public? They were busy telling their audiences about the latest update from Bigg Boss, or running programs on IIT Baba. "Now, pay attention to the look."
• 21:00 - 21:30 "Baba is here in a changed look." Before that, they were investigating Abhinav Baba. When did they talk about the danger looming on the Hasdeo or Nicobar jungles? When did they talk about the challenges faced by Dalits and tribal people? How many media channels are talking about the indefinite hunger strike and the demands of the farmer-leader Jagjit Singh? You might not have heard this news. It's been two years since Manipur has been in internal turmoil. The day this controversy broke out,
• 21:30 - 22:00 the same day Manipur's Chief Minister resigned. Anyhow, we are getting farther from our topic. Let's get back to the real issue. The vulgar and insulting comedy. What is the solution? Should it be banned? Many people watching this video will think that obviously, it needs to be banned. The government should take action against it. But in my opinion, this isn't even close to the solution. When a government of any country, bans something, it is a government-imposed censorship. It is more harmful than is beneficial.
• 22:00 - 22:30 Take the examples in our country. Bandit Queen, Lipstick Under My Burkha, Udta Punjab, Paanch, India's Daughter, A Clockwork Orange. These meaningful and sensitive films had to deal with censorship. Whereas vulgar films like Kya Kool Hai Hum, Grand Masti, Nasha, Hate Story, they get a pass quite easily. There was case on Saadat Hassan Manto because of his socially conscious stories. Stories that show the society a mirror, forces it to think, authorities tried to label his work as being vulgar to stop him.
• 22:30 - 23:00 Whereas semi-pornographic stories like Mastram can be easily sold on the streets. That's why censorship is not an effective solution. Take India's Got Latent. The controversy was regarding only one of the jokes. but before this, the dark, dank, uncensored, unfiltered, cringe fest went on for a long time. Here, self-censorship, censorship by your conscience is a better solution. But the problem is that while chasing views and money, the conscience of many is sacrificed. In such cases, being called out by others
• 23:00 - 23:30 is a better way. It is legal, democratic, and constitutional. People have the freedom of expression to call-out such content and content creators, as they should. In an earlier video, I supported boycott calls. And I still do. This is a democratic way to show your dissent. People need to proactively criticise it, and demand to boycott it, but not ban it. There is a difference between boycott and ban. In a boycott, you are choosing to stop watching such content, and asking your friends and other people to do the same.
• 23:30 - 24:00 But a ban means that no one should be able to watch it. A demand for a boycott should not turn into a demand for a ban. Another thing worth mentioning here is that calling out someone does not mean that you start insulting them or giving them death threats. Many people are doing this to Ranveer and Samay. Some talk about giving them the death sentence, and some threatened them quite openly. "The Mumbai government should authorise his encounter immediately." "Such a criminal, traitorous person with a terrorist mindset," "does not have a right to live in India."
• 24:00 - 24:30 This has happened before too. Vigilantes getting on stage to threaten a comedian. Insulting or threatening them in DMs. Destroying things in the theatre. These actions are entirely wrong. These people should be stopped and strict action should be taken against them. In fact, the state of our nation right now is very humiliating for our government and police. After all, was Ranveer and Samay's crime so big? Isn't giving them death threats worse? It is said that law is the same for everyone, but it's clearly evident that there's no rule of law in our country anymore.
• 24:30 - 25:00 The government randomly targets whomever it wants to and makes their life miserable. Think about it. Is making vulgar jokes the bigger crime than threatening to kill someone? Which is worse? If it suits the government, even convicted rapists are forgiven. Rapists are felicitated. Before the election, rapists are given parole, to do political campaigning. The government has turned law and order into a joke. Anyone can threaten to kill someone on social media,
• 25:00 - 25:30 and nothing happens to them. Criminals get a spot in Bigg Boss, and no one cares. But after Ranveer's single vulgar joke, the police are now going after him. What message is sent to the citizens? The funny thing is that Samay Raina used to be worried about being cancelled by the left. In 2022, he tweeted that "Fear of cancellation from the left" "is why we don't have comics like Andrew, Jimmy, Dave, Ricky in the Indian comedy scene." "Don't worry, I'm here to change that." This was when he made a joke on abortion, and people criticised him in the comments.
• 25:30 - 26:00 So he chose to insult their mothers. Media portals like The Quint and Firstpost wrote articles on this, so he made fun of them in a podcast. "There are articles." "these publications like Quint," "I learned my lesson from it." "I learned that" [not the lesson he was supposed to learn.] Hopefully, Samay has learned his lesson, whether left-wing calling out something or writing articles is better, or the right-wing asking for a police encounter is better. Here, I's like to answer the last question.
• 26:00 - 26:30 Some of you might be wondering, in this video, I talked about not doing certain type of comedy, not making fun of someone's weight, or someone being bald. Not mocking women or disabilities. So, some of you might be wondering, what can one joke about? Here, I would like to tell you, there is a simple distinction in comedy, between punching up and punching down. The thing you joke about while doing comedy, Are you humiliating those who are at a disadvantage compared to you? Or the ones more powerful than you?
• 26:30 - 27:00 The social norms that have been made by the society to benefit the elites? Do you mock those and criticise those? Because with talent, comedians like Gaurav Kapoor can do great comedy on topics like traffic rules and road safety. With talent, comedians like Abhishek Upmanyu, can do comedy on health, anxiety, privilege blindness, and the rote education system in colleges. It is Manik Mahina's talent that his comedy mocked a Rajat Dalal-akin character Bobby Kataria. He made a satirical comedy set on the inefficiencies of Indian police.
• 27:00 - 27:30 Kunal Kamra does political comdey, but that requires a lot of courage. The number of FIRs and death threats against Kunal, getting banned by flights, shows being cancelled, hardly any other comedian has gone through it all. On the other hand, Kunal Kamra, Abhishek Upmanyu, Gaurav Kapoor, and Manik Mahina also use foul language. But the difference is that where some people's comedy is made up entirely of such filth, here, there's comedy in addition to the foul language. Here, I'd like to appeal to these comedians; please, stop using such foul language in your comedy.
• 27:30 - 28:00 In this video, I tried to explain the negative impact such vulgarity has on society. And this is not limited to comedians only. It is applicable to actors, filmmakers, and other YouTubers too. Create your content without profanity and vulgarity. It's not very difficult to do this. There are YouTube channels like Slayy Point that do comedy without using such cheap thrills. There are many such comedians. For example, check out Deepak Garg and Hustling Rajan's Instagram reels. In a video, the toxic male ego is mocked. In another reel, smokers' heavy addiction is mocked.
• 28:00 - 28:30 There's a video that mocks sad fishing, and there're some mocking people's sadistic behaviour. You won't run out of topics for comedy. Because it is the comedian's choice to make a classist joke or joke about someone being classist. To make a casteist joke or to joke about casteism. They can choose to either punch down or punch up. I want all creators to reflect on their content and think about the impact of their content on society and the country.
• 28:30 - 29:00 And this responsibility isn't on content creators alone. It is yours too as an audience. You need to be careful when choosing the content you engage with. Your mind is not a dustbin. Respect your mind. I hope this video was informative. We can talk about this pressing issue of profanity. What do scientific studies and research papers have to say about it? If you want to see a more detailed video, let me know in the comments. For now, you'll get the link to download the YouTuber course in the description below. I discussed this topic a bit more in the video on the film Animal.
• 29:00 - 29:30 You can click here to watch it. Thank you very much!