Samay Raina says he is still alive, in a YouTube special that has gathered millions and millions of views since it released. I watched it, and bhai, revenge should look like this
Samay Raina inspired me, and will inspire you. His unapologetic return after a time of great adversity is a good life skill to learn. PIC/YouTube/Samay Raina
Before I give my humble opinion on Samay Raina’s comeback special, Still Alive, I have a disclaimer to make: I have never watched him much, consumed his content, or had a very strong opinion on him. To me, he has always represented a bunch of muhfat comics/creators who are many times, sexist, misogynistic and arrogant. I have always been like, “nahin, not interested”. So my review today is entirely based on this video, which follows the massive controversy and legal troubles Raina and the likes of Beer Biceps found themselves back in February 2025, after the latter cracked an unnecessary “joke” on the former’s show, India’s Got Latent. This video, which people can’t stop talking about on social media, is Raina’s take on all of that.
The special starts off with Raina sort of blaming Ranveer Allahbadia for the whole chaos. Okay, but it was your show, where the format has been to be as irreverent (read controversial) as one can be. Maybe that compelled Allahbadia, who wouldn’t know a good joke if it hit him on the head, to speak out loud about something that should have never been said, just so he could be cool. Big mistake!
But then Raina delivers a punchline: “We are just playing a character. India mein the Internet is not a platform to showcase your art. In India, the Internet is a game we play to set a high score in our bank accounts”. It’s honest and heartbreaking at the same time, because it lays bare how influencers and creators see art and their “jobs”. Okay, so you can’t create because there is no freedom of speech, but he also says they create to make money. So, is everyone we watch being fake for the cash? As Raina says and implies, it pays to be a ga**u on the Internet.
And then he takes on Apoorva Mukhija (@the.rebel.kid), but he doesn’t really take her on. He praises her, in his own ga**u way. “She killed it.” Seems like he has learned something new, and it shows.
I skipped through the bits where he talks about his childhood in Hyderabad, where he recounts his own struggles as a youngster who was hatke, and getting bullied. I just feel grown men need to take responsibility for who they are now, regardless of what happened when it happened.
He then goes on and talks about the fear he faces when the FIRs were stacking up against him and Allahbadia. Of the fear he felt when he had no one left to call and ask for help. Then, he went to his dad to lament about the death of his show, and his father (bless the good dads of the world) told him, “The show exists because of you, you don’t exist because of show”. So this is where Raina’s confidence comes from — a family that stands by you. It’s rare these days.
And my favourite line from the special is when he recounts how he decided to apologise for the whole episode, because he knew, “You only fight when the fight is fair. When it’s not fair, you f**k off from there”. As a person who has recently learned how to leave spaces where standing your ground will just make you fall into more trouble, it resonated with me.
My final view: Samay funny toh hai. He has turned his downfall into a comeback moment of epic proportions — with jokes, punchlines, candour and self-deprecatory humour as band baaja. Even the most discerning hater will watch this special and feel like “iss bande mein kuch baat hai”. He stays true to who he is — the ga**u on the Internet. This doesn’t mean all he has said and done that has hurt people should be forgiven, and forgotten. It means he knows how to script a comeback, he knows how to rise from the ashes, and maybe he has learnt his lessons. As he ends, he announces his show will be back. Now, what’s better revenge than that?
Raina inspired me, and will inspire you. His unapologetic return after a time of great adversity is a good life skill to learn. As Don Draper (Mad Men) once said, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation”. Way to go, Samay.
See you next time.
Ranting and raving about all that’s trending on social media, Aastha Atray Banan is an author, creator, podcaster, and the Editor of your favourite weekend read, Sunday mid-day. She posts at @aasthaatray on Instagram.
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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.
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