UNCENSORED And FILTHY: Ranveer Allahbadia's India’s Got Latent Controversy Sparks AIB Knockout Deja Vu

While Samay Raina's show India' Got Latent has been receiving flak on social media, many were reminded of a similar controversy that erupted over the AIB Knockout, a roast comedy show, starring Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. The AIB show was uploaded in January 2015 on YouTube and went viral. It was criticised by various sections of society for the use of expletives, leading to an order for a government probe over obscenity disseminated through the internet.

10 years later, a similar row erupted when YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, India's Got Latent creator Samay Raina, Ashish Chanchlani, 'The Rebel Kid' Apoorva Mukhija and comedian Jaspreet Singh were panellists on the roast show. Comments that were perceived to be derogatory towards women, children, and differently-abled, and in general use of cuss words and allusions to sex invited a heavy backlash.

10 years on, obscenity returns in the name of comedy

AIB Knockout starring Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor and Karan Johar as the host (roast master) invited heavy backlash. The video sparked a debate about the limits of freedom of speech in the country leading to police complaints for alleged obscenity. Present in the audience were Deepika Padukone , Sonakshi Sinha , Alia Bhatt , Soni Razdan and more. Jokes about sex were made and women were objectified at the event for which tickets were sold online leading to a huge turnout of viewers. The video went viral on YouTube, gaining millions of views within hours before it was eventually taken down.
 

Similarly, Ranveer Allahbadia's joke on mother and father having sex while their child watches on, remark on differently-abled contestants by Samay Raina, referral to women's private parts by Apoorva Mukhija and alleged racist remarks by comedian Jaspreet Singh led to police complaints amid strong reactions from the Government of Maharastra and complaints by Hindu IT cell and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The outcome

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said about India's Got Latent controversy, "I have come to know about it. I have not seen it yet. Things have been said and presented in a wrong way. Everyone has freedom of speech, but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others. In our society, we have made some rules, if someone violates them, it is absolutely wrong, and action should be taken against them."

With AIB Knockout, to the makers and those involved in the show, police initiated an inquiry into a complaint against Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Singh. AIB pulled down the video due to the widespread criticism and cancelled the tour that was to follow, Now, the channel is defunct and those involved work independently.