Raghav Juyal accused of being 'racist' over introduction of contestant; artist clarifies

Dancer Raghav Juyal took to his social media to clarify the 'misunderstanding' after being accused of racism on the dancing reality show Dance Deewane. The young dancer hosts the show whereas renowned choreographers Remo D'Souza, Tushar Kalia, Dharmesh Yelande and Madhuri Dixit sit on the judges' panel. 

Raghav Juyal clarifies 'Misunderstanding' 

Taking to his Instagram on November 15, the 30-year-old artist shared a video of him explaining the story behind his controversial introduction of a young contestant hailing from Assam. He started off by stating that the short clip has created a major misunderstanding and he has been receiving hate comments and being accused as 'racist' over that brief clip. He further explained that the contestant named Gunjan Sinha from Assam revealed that she can 'talk in Chinese' when asked about her hobbies and interests.

Furthermore, he stated that the young contestant would talk in 'gibberish Chinese' and it soon became an inside joke over the course of the show. The artist then clarified that this was the reason that he introduced the contestant 'in her own way' during the last few episodes. He also admitted having family and friends across Northeast and receiving hate comments for taking a stand for commutes, caste or religion in the past. 

Juyal further said, ''I am sorry if you are hurt by my introduction. It was nor mine neither channel's motive to do so''. Lastly, he urged the netizens to watch the whole episode and the show before judging him over the brief clip. 

More on Raghav Juyal's racist comments

For the unversed, the host of the popular dance reality show Dance Deewane on Colors TV found himself in hot waters when many called him out on his 'racist' introduction of a contestant hailing from Assam. The short clip quickly gained traction as one user wrote, ''It's 2021, but the #racist Indians still practicing "Chinese" "momo" "ching chong" #racism as a comic element on their national television with their #bollywood celebs applauding it. The racist host @TheRaghav_Juyal introducing Gunjan Sinha from Assam in a show on@ColorsTV''

Another user tweeted, ''Absolutely unacceptable! @TheRaghav_Juyal needs to apologise & attend sensitivity training along with taking some classes for common sense! @ColorsTV is this endorsed by you???'' While another wrote, ''Appalled by this blatant racism, that too on national television. @TheRaghav_Juyal and @ColorsTV should apologise.''

Image: Instagram/@raghavjuyal/manaobi101