Biryani 370 Comment: Is There A Dirty Influencer Pandemic In Country?

New Delhi: A crude comment at comedian Pranit More's stand-up comedy show has transformed a Rs 370 plate of chicken biryani into a national debate about consent, comedy, internet fame and the kind of behaviour India’s digital culture is rewarding. It has also given rise to a pressing question: Is there a dirty influencer pandemic in the country, and is India's creator economy structurally addicted to producing exactly this kind of content?

The ‘370 Ki Biryani' Controversy

The '370 ki biryani’ controversy emerged from a stand-up comedy show of Pranit More.

A 23-year-old audience member from Gurugram recounted a recent date at the event, stating that he had bought his date a plate of chicken biryani that cost around ₹370. He added that when she later asked him to drop her home, he joked that because he had spent ₹370 on her, he was entitled to "recover" or "reclaim" his money, strongly implying a demand for physical intimacy.

He said, “Maine kaha ki Rs 370 lage hain to use to wasool to karunga hi.”

The man behind the outrageous comment has been identified as Himanshu Jangra.

His remark framed a woman's consent as something transactional, something that could be purchased for the price of a plate of biryani. What made matters significantly worse was the reaction on stage. Pranit More appeared to be laughing during the exchange rather than challenging it.

The Dirty Influencer Pandemic: A Pattern

The ‘370 ki biryani’ is not the first time such outrageous statements have been made in public space. It is the latest entry in a now-familiar cycle that India's digital entertainment ecosystem seems unable to break from.

Joke On Male Cadavers' Genitals

In another stand-up comedy show of Pranit More, a Mumbai-based female doctor, identified as Sejal Pawar, was purportedly seen joking about the size of the genitals of male corpses.

In a video from the show, More is heard asking what kind of jokes doctors crack among themselves. Responding to the question, Pawar narrated an anecdote from her medical college days, claiming that when they dissect male corpses in the anatomy lab, they comment on the private parts of male cadavers.

Pranit More was purportedly seen laughing and cracking jokes around her statement.

Pawar, who is also a social media influencer with over 2.44 lakh followers on Instagram, issued a public apology after facing massive backlash.

The Latent Show Controversy

Another shocking comment was made by an influencer in February 2025 at the now scrapped India's Got Latent show.

YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, known as BeerBiceps, made a crass remark on comedian Samay Raina's reality show, triggering nationwide outrage.

India's Got Latent also gave platform to jokes about persons with disabilities.

More Than Just Jokes

The aforementioned cases focuses on influencers cracking or allegedly promoting jokes from spontaneous answers. They can appear to be sharp and fresh. But when a disturbing comment is treated only as “content”, the room meant for crowd-work becomes a machine that turns someone’s worst instinct into entertainment.

Once the clip is uploaded, the joke leaves the room and enters homes, schools, offices and social feeds of many developing minds around the country. What may have sounded like a throwaway line on stage becomes a social statement. Disturbing, misogynistic, or non-consensual comments, treated as "content," normalises blatant coercion as mainstream entertainment.

Offensive remarks, repackaged as casual entertainment, plays a massive role in normalising disturbing social attitudes about consent and misogyny in the public sphere.

The ‘370 ki biryani’ remark hurt because it revealed a mindset many women recognise- the idea that a meal, a ride, a gift or a date creates entitlement over a woman’s body.

Why Is The Pandemic Exploding?

Social media rewards attention more than wisdom. A thoughtful video may take days to research and still disappear. A crude clip can explode in minutes. Algorithms do not always understand dignity, context or harm, they understand watch time, comments, shares and outrage.

Even condemnation of content makes them more attractive to algorithm. People share a clip to criticise it, but the algorithm reads the share as engagement. Every like, share and comment trains the system.

Influencers also seem to cash in on the outrage factor, in a phenomenon called ‘rage-baiting’.

Also Read- 'Very Sorry': Doc Who Joked About Size Of Male Corpses' Genitals At Pranit More's Show Apologises After Video Goes Viral