‘I’m not perfect; nobody is’: When Samay Raina spoke about crossing the line in comedy

YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia is facing criticism and legal trouble for asking a question about parents on comedian Samay Raina’s show India’s Got Latent. BeerBiceps's remark has sparked public outrage and backlash. Many feel that the “joke” crossed the line of decency.

Consequently, Samay Raina has deleted all India’s Got Latent episodes on YouTube. In August 2024, during an interview with Podcaster Prakhar Gupta, Samay spoke about “crossing the line”.

Prakhar asked Samay Raina if he had the pressure from his audience to deliver dark humour. The standup comedian strongly opposed it. He said he had never claimed to have a “dark” humour.

“I consider myself an extrovert on camera. I look at everybody as my brother. Everyone is going to die. That approach takes away my filter. I have a lot of chul (restlessness) inside me. Even in my childhood, I was that kid who could not stop laughing when the principal asked us to maintain two minutes of silence,” Samay said.

The host then asked Samay if he ever thought that restlessness would be the cause of his downfall.

“While my restlessness is raw and unfiltered, I know which line not to cross...never f*ck with a person who has nothing to do tomorrow because they’ll come to your house and f*ck you up. If you have to do it, do it with busy people. They’ll abuse you at night and go to work the following day,” Samay said.

Samay Raina on crossing the line

“The line (that should not be crossed) is personal. Everyone has their own line, and everyone should be okay with the consequences you must get with the line. I want to spend lots of money on my parents. I want to take them to explore the world most luxuriously,” the standup comedian said.

“So, I don’t want to do anything that comes in the way of that. That’s my line. Revolution is not my purpose. I’ll never hurt someone over their religious sentiments. I have made mistakes. People did feel offended by what I said. Every time, I learn from it, and I try to be better. I’m not perfect; nobody is,” he added.