Cyrus Broacha weighs in on Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia’s ‘India’s Got Latent’ controversy

The continuing scandal over Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia's India's Got Latent show has sparked a hot debate among India's comedy community. Comedian Cyrus Broacha recently addressed the controversy, criticizing the "overkill" being meted out to Samay and Ranveer, claiming they were being "treated like common criminals."

Cyrus Broacha weighs in on Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia controversy

In an interview, Cyrus argued on behalf of more subtle notions of morality. “In India, two words have been abused—Parampara and Sanskriti. Your tradition, my tradition, and your morality, my morality can differ,” he said. He also challenged the hypocrisy of online material, stating, “When all the crimes are on the internet, then how bad is this?”

‘A roast show, not a crime scene,’ says Cyrus Broacha

Cyrus condemned the legal suits brought against Samay and Ranveer, claiming the show is a roast format, just like Tony Hinchcliffe's Kill Tony. “This is a roast show. People speak in this manner. It is a replica of Tony Hinchcliffe's show Kill Tony. People will recognize it. I do not believe they should be treated as ordinary criminals or have their careers halted,” he insisted.

The controversy was caused by a joke during guest Ranveer Allahbadia, which people found to be disrespectful.

Samay Raina shares first post on YouTube amidst the controversy

Amidst the flak, Samay Raina addressed his fans with a Members Only message on YouTube.  He posted a plain red heart emoji and an online hug and said he is with them, showing solidarity and gratitude for standing by him.

The post, without pictures or videos, received high engagement, with thousands of likes and comments in a matter of minutes.  A screenshot posted on Reddit emphasized the outpouring of support, with one person asking, “Is there a larger Internet personality out there right now?”  This show of support is evidence of the close relationship Raina has with his followers, even in the midst of controversy.