Comedian Samay Raina’s Gujarat shows cancelled amid ‘India’s Got Latent’ backlash

Samay Raina’s Gujarat stand-up shows were cancelled after India’s Got Latent controversy sparked public outrage and VHP’s opposition
VHP claimed responsibility for cancellations, stating public anger over Ranveer Allahbadia’s viral remarks led to ticket removal
Raina deleted all India’s Got Latent episodes, stated he only aimed for comedy, and promised full cooperation with authorities

Stand-up comedian and YouTuber Samay Raina’s scheduled performances in Gujarat have been cancelled following public outrage over controversial remarks made on his reality show, India’s Got Latent. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed responsibility for the cancellations, stating that public sentiment was against the comedian. As of Wednesday, tickets for his shows were no longer available on BookMyShow.

According to VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput, Raina was set to perform in Surat on April 17, Vadodara on April 18, and Ahmedabad on April 19 and 20. “It appears all these four shows have been cancelled due to public outrage against him in Gujarat. Though tickets for these shows were available till morning (of Wednesday) on BookMyShow, it seems they have been now taken down from the portal,” Rajput stated.

The controversy erupted after a clip from India’s Got Latent featuring social media influencer Ranveer Allahbadia went viral. Allahbadia’s remarks about parents and sex triggered backlash, leading to multiple police complaints in Mumbai and Guwahati. The central government ordered YouTube to take down the controversial episode, and authorities in Maharashtra summoned both Allahbadia and Raina for questioning. While Allahbadia later apologized, criticism continued against the show and its creators.

In response to the controversy, Raina removed all episodes of India’s Got Latent from his YouTube channel. In his first statement since the backlash, he posted on social media: “Everything that is 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.”

VHP regional secretary Ashvin Patel said, “In view of the anger among people, it appears organisers have cancelled Samay Raina’s upcoming shows in Gujarat. We are thankful to the people of Gujarat for showing such alertness. I also ask organisers to refrain from organising events of such people in Gujarat.” Raina has not issued any statement regarding the cancellations, and it remains unclear whether they were voluntarily withdrawn or removed due to external pressure.

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