Samay Raina says he was ‘jealous’ of Apoorva Mukhija’s comment that landed her in legal trouble

Samay Raina and Apoorva Mukhija

Comedian Samay Raina's latest comedy special, Still Alive, has been released on his YouTube channel. In the special, he speaks openly about the India's Got Latent controversy that unfolded in early 2025. His hugely popular show was shut down following a controversial comment by influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, who appeared as a panellist. Eventually, everyone associated with the show was summoned by authorities. Apoorva Mukhija, who was part of the episode, also faced legal action and backlash on social media for a comeback she gave to a contestant who was being disrespectful towards her.

Samay Raina on Apoorva's controversial comment on India's Got Latent

On his show, Samay addressed the hate Apoorva received and the FIRs filed against her. He said he was proud of her response. During the episode of India's Got Latent, a rapper contestant made a derogatory remark towards Apoorva, asking her an inappropriate question. While Samay initially thought he would edit out the comment, Apoorva responded with a sharp retort.

Samay joked that he felt slightly jealous of Apoorva, as he admired her comeback. "What a punchline she delivered. What a comeback to have in that moment. She outdid four comedians. I was very jealous, but also very proud of her," he said.

He further explained that the moment went beyond just a verbal exchange. "Some things in life have layers. This wasn't just Apoorva responding to a rapper - it was a woman standing up for herself and winning against a man," he said, adding that it was a powerful moment that gave him goosebumps.

Samay also reflected on the societal context, saying that in a patriarchal setup where women are often not expected to speak up, Apoorva's response was significant. However, he noted that such moments often come at a cost, referring to the FIRs filed after the incident.

Why did Samay not edit Ranveer's question?

In his new special released on YouTube on Monday, Samay Raina addressed the big question on everyone's mind, why didn't he edit out the controversial question?

He said, "Main tumhe maa ki kasam sach batata hoon. Uss episode mein BeerBiceps ne woh sawal 8 baar poocha tha. Aur iske alawa bhi kai anap-shanap sawal pooche the usne. Toh jab maine edit dekha, maine kaha, ‘Yeh toh bahut gandi baatein kari hain isne.' (I swear, in that episode, BeerBiceps asked that question eight times. Apart from that, he asked a lot of rubbish questions. When I saw the edit, I realised he had said many obscene things.)"

He added, "Chalo ek rakh deta hoon, baaki sab hata deta hoon. Toh mere POV se maine toh 99 percent keetanu maar diye the. (I thought I would keep one instance and remove the rest. From my point of view, I had eliminated 99 percent of the ‘germs'.)"