YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia has requested in the Supreme Court the clubbing of multiple police cases filed against him over an obscene comment on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show, India’s Got Latent.

The controversy has led to a nationwide debate that has also reached Parliament. Some have called for action against Allahbadia, others have demanded laws to regulate online content, while a few others have said that legal proceedings over a joke distract from more important national issues.

The Telegraph Online spoke to several big and small comedy content creators and stand-up comedians across India for their take on what is unfolding.

Facebook/Priyam Ghose

‘Ranveer apologised, what more can he do?’

“I saw the episode for which the entire controversy is happening and I feel the comments made by Ranveer could have been avoided and it was wrong and should not have been said,” said Priyam Ghose, 27, from Kolkata, who has been creating comedy content for the past eight years.

“But having said that, I feel that there was a disclaimer in the very beginning of the video where viewer discretion was advised. It was one of the most viewed properties in Youtube India. Who made it famous? It was the people of the country that made it famous. I feel the responsibility also lies on the people as to what kind of content they want to watch and see becoming famous and it is not just on the creator.

The comedian always tries to make the viewers laugh, Ghose said.

“There will always be a part of the audience that will take it supportingly and not get offended and there will be another section that will not take it the right way. Ranveer has already apologised for this and what more can he possibly do in this situation?”

Ghose opposed the filing of FIRs against Allahbadia.

“What will they eventually enquire, what was the motive behind the joke? What will be achieved after all this? There is nothing more to achieve. There are far more serious matters in the country right now which need attention. The New Delhi station stampede. The crime rate is still up, rapes are still happenning and people are still raging about India’s Got Latent. There are far more serious issues which we need to focus on,” added Ghose.

Facebook/Bong Short

‘Dragging this controversy further is unnecessary’

Subham Chaudhuri, who has been running his comedy page Bong Short since 2019, pointed out that the India’s Got Latent show was exclusively for members who knew exactly what they were signing up for.

“Ranveer made a mistake in the heat of the moment, but filing FIRs and dragging this controversy further is unnecessary. There are many burning issues in our country which need focus. People are overreacting to this and Ranveer is a soft target. He has definitely made a mistake, there is no way I can deny this, but we can now stop the controversy. There is no need to drag him, arrest him and punish him.”

Sundeep Sharma (Videograb)

‘Censorship will kill comedy’

Sundeep Sharma, a stand-up comedian for 15 years, stressed that Ranveer is not a comedian but a podcaster.

“As an artiste I would like to push the boundaries, whatever was said on the show was not said by a comedian. It was said by a guest who happens to be a podcaster, and what he said was also not original, it was taken from an Australian show. I would be happier if a comedian took a dig on the government and the government got irked. I would have been proud of such an issue if it turned into controversy,” he said

The bigger issue, according to Sharma, is the suppression of content.

“McDonalds when they came to India they localised their menu as per our taste; the same goes with content. There are countless issues in India, first being the air quality – all our big cities are not worth living. There are water shortages. The roads are dug up. The Delhi station stampede. Not even a single FIR registered and so many people have lost their lives. Even if I do not agree with what they said on the show, I stand by their right to say what they want to say. Now somebody else’s show is being cancelled, the episodes are being deleted, if this is done then there will be no fun. People give examples of Kapil Sharma and others but they do racist comedy like on somebody’s weight or complexion, we do not do that,” he added.

Facebook/Rahuldey

‘Parents also have a responsibility’

Rahul Dey, 25, another comedy content creator from Kolkata, also said that he did not support Allahbadia’s “joke,” but the level of outrage was unnecessary.

“People are saying what will our children learn from all this. But my point is a lot of things are happening in our society and children get exposed to that as well. I have seen parents make content with their small kids and sometimes even the ones who cannot speak. Is that correct? Parents also have a responsibility. Youtube has an option for content setting and parental control which must be used to keep children away from all this. The education system, health issues, woman safety and unemployment are some of the serious issues of our country. Why are we not talking about that? Ever since this comment has been made, after that many serious things have happened in our country which did not get the attention that it needed,” he added

Facebook/Sahil Horane

‘If FIRs are filed over jokes, where does it end?’

Sahil Horane, who has been performing corporate stand-up for nine years, said that Allahbadia’s “joke” was not funny but filing FIRs over a joke was an overreaction.

“At times, I have seen people reacting badly to plain jokes, like even if I post about a bike review in a funny way people use abusive language and give threats in the comments section. I once cracked a joke on Pune roads and people gave me threats to leave Pune where I have been all my life. There might be topics that may be offensive, nobody is supporting what was said on the show by Ranveer,” said Horane.

Instead of policing jokes, he said, the nation should focus on issues like daily murders, rising crime, and persistent poverty.

“I was reading about a case, which someone on my feed had posted about that there are 70 odd murders which take place in a day in our country, the crime rate is also extremely high. I think we must as a nation focus upon getting those resolved rather than focusing on a joke,” added Horane.

Instagram/ShiladityaChatterjee

‘Imagine if we paid this much attention to other issues’

“The way people are discussing it, if they would have discussed a lot of other things which are happening in the society, I think they would have been addressed,” said Shiladitya Chatterjee, who has been performing stand-up for seven years.