While promoting his new comedy special, Still Alive, Samay Raina reflected on the fallout from the February 2025 episode that featured Ranveer Allahbadia. A specific remark made during the show sparked nationwide backlash and multiple FIRs, leading to the episode’s removal and a complete halt to Samay’s career momentum at the time.

“I Lost Everything”: The Financial Breakdown

Samay detailed a domino effect that nearly wiped out his savings:

Sponsor Exodus: Brands pulled out of scheduled ads and upcoming episodes. Because Samay had already received advance payments and invested them into fixed deposits (FDs), he had to break those FDs prematurely to return the funds.

The BookMyShow Crisis: The comedian had signed a significant deal for a nationwide tour. After the controversy broke, he faced the terrifying prospect of having to return the tour advance, which had also already been invested.

Abandoned Projects: Several advertisements he had already shot were scrapped, with companies demanding their money back immediately.

The Amitabh Bachchan Comparison

During the peak of the crisis, Samay admitted his biggest fear was falling into a debt trap similar to the legendary Amitabh Bachchan.

“My biggest fear was that I would go broke and fall into debt, like what happened with Amitabh Bachchan. I knew no brand would come on board, and I didn’t know what I would do.”

Amitabh Bachchan’s ABCL collapse famously left the actor with a debt of approximately ₹90 crore, nearly costing him his home before Kaun Banega Crorepati and Mohabbatein revived his career. Samay feared a similar “Boycott” from the industry.

A Look Back: The 2025 Controversy

The controversy began during a taping of India’s Got Latent featuring Ranveer Allahbadia, Ashish Chanchlani, and Apoorva Mukhija.

The Trigger: A joke related to parents and sex made by Ranveer Allahbadia sparked outrage.

The Edit: In his new special, Samay revealed that Ranveer actually made the joke eight times during the recording. Only one instance was kept in the final edit, which Samay admits he now regrets.

Legal Action: Multiple FIRs led to the show’s removal. While the Supreme Court eventually allowed Ranveer to resume his podcast in March 2025, the damage to Samay’s production house was already done.

The Comeback: Still Alive and Season 2

Despite the mental health struggles and the feeling of “helplessness” that followed the scandal, Samay has successfully returned to the spotlight.

Samay has officially hinted that Season 2 of India’s Got Latent is in the works—this time, likely with much stricter editorial oversight.