Samay Raina says backlash left him fearing debt like Amitabh Bachchan
April 20, 2026
Comedian Samay Raina revealed how the backlash from India’s Got Latent controversy left him fearing bankruptcy, drawing parallels with Amitabh Bachchan’s financial crisis in the late 90s.
Comedian Samay Raina recently opened up about the financial turmoil he faced following the controversy surrounding India’s Got Latent. Raina shared that the fallout left him fearing bankruptcy, similar to the financial crisis faced by Amitabh Bachchan in the late 90s.
In a conversation with Dostcast, Raina revealed that he lost sponsors and had to break his fixed deposits to refund their payments. He recounted, “I lost all the upcoming episodes because everyone was scared and didn’t want their episode to be uploaded. I also lost the sponsors for those episodes. I had already received their payments and invested them in fixed deposits. I had to break those FDs and return the money. I was in a mess.”
Further sharing his fears, the comedian said, “I had several projects lined up and had even shot for ads, but they asked for their money back. I had also signed a deal with BookMyShow, where they had given me an advance for the entire tour, and all that money was already invested. I was extremely scared. At that time, I didn’t know what I would do. I knew no brand would come on board. My biggest fear was that I would go broke and fall into debt, like what happened with Amitabh Bachchan.”
Amitabh Bachchan faced a significant financial crisis when his company, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), collapsed, leaving him with substantial debts. He encountered multiple legal battles and creditor pressures, with reports indicating he was close to losing his home.
The controversy began in February 2025 when YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, along with content creators Ashish Chanchlani and Apoorva Mukhija, appeared on India’s Got Latent. A question asked by Ranveer during the show led to a massive online backlash, resulting in several FIRs against Samay and the panellists. The question was: “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?”
The show was subsequently removed from YouTube, and Ranveer later issued a public apology. The Supreme Court allowed him to resume his podcast in March.
In his recent comedy special, Samay mentioned that Ranveer had made the parent joke eight times during the episode, but only one instance was retained, leading to the outrage. Samay also spoke about the mental health impact and his feeling of helplessness during the crisis. Despite these challenges, he has hinted at a second season of India’s Got Latent, which has left fans eager for its return.
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In a conversation with Dostcast, Raina revealed that he lost sponsors and had to break his fixed deposits to refund their payments. He recounted, “I lost all the upcoming episodes because everyone was scared and didn’t want their episode to be uploaded. I also lost the sponsors for those episodes. I had already received their payments and invested them in fixed deposits. I had to break those FDs and return the money. I was in a mess.”
Further sharing his fears, the comedian said, “I had several projects lined up and had even shot for ads, but they asked for their money back. I had also signed a deal with BookMyShow, where they had given me an advance for the entire tour, and all that money was already invested. I was extremely scared. At that time, I didn’t know what I would do. I knew no brand would come on board. My biggest fear was that I would go broke and fall into debt, like what happened with Amitabh Bachchan.”
Amitabh Bachchan faced a significant financial crisis when his company, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), collapsed, leaving him with substantial debts. He encountered multiple legal battles and creditor pressures, with reports indicating he was close to losing his home.
The controversy began in February 2025 when YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, along with content creators Ashish Chanchlani and Apoorva Mukhija, appeared on India’s Got Latent. A question asked by Ranveer during the show led to a massive online backlash, resulting in several FIRs against Samay and the panellists. The question was: “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?”
The show was subsequently removed from YouTube, and Ranveer later issued a public apology. The Supreme Court allowed him to resume his podcast in March.
In his recent comedy special, Samay mentioned that Ranveer had made the parent joke eight times during the episode, but only one instance was retained, leading to the outrage. Samay also spoke about the mental health impact and his feeling of helplessness during the crisis. Despite these challenges, he has hinted at a second season of India’s Got Latent, which has left fans eager for its return.
- Ends