Ranveer Allahbadia’s appearance on Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent has sparked outrage over his controversial remark. His comment, deemed vulgar and offensive, led to official complaints being filed with the Mumbai Commissioner and Maharashtra Women’s Commission. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar writer Snehiil Dixit Mehraa shared her concerns as a content creator.
In an interview with News18, Snehiil stated, “As a content creator, I’m fearful. The next time I’m on a public podium cracking a joke, I’ll be extremely scared.” She acknowledged the need for boundaries in content but added, “It will help us draw a line between palatable and non-palatable content. But I’m not siding with Ranveer. There are certain topics that are sacred.”
Allahbadia’s social media following has taken a hit, with singer B Praak canceling his appearance on the BeerBiceps podcast. Addressing the fallout, Snehiil said, “This will definitely impact Ranveer, particularly because he’s a social media influencer. It may affect his financial and mental status. I can only imagine what he must be going through right now.”
She also pointed out the issue of cancel culture, saying, “One wrong statement, appearance or joke can land you in big trouble and this should be our learning from this episode. I, in fact, posted a funny video on this episode and someone called me out for still following Ranveer. This is the cancel culture I’m talking about it and it’s really scary.”
Snehiil also partly blamed Ranveer’s team for his participation on the show, considering his “image of a spiritual, nice and clean guy, who meets the who’s who of the world.”
Regarding the impact of the controversy on artistic freedom, she noted that in Indian culture, parents hold a position of reverence, second only to God. She found the intense backlash, FIRs, and public outrage astonishing but believed that much of the criticism stemmed from Ranveer Allahbadia’s status as a National Creators Award winner. Given his carefully curated public image, she felt his actions on India’s Got Latent were irresponsible.
Following government orders, YouTube India has blocked the episode containing the controversial remark. The case remains under investigation.
