The latest episode of Samay Raina’s viral format show India’s Got Latent has landed the comedian and panelists Ranveer Allahbadia (better known as BeerBiceps) and Apoorva Makhija (The Rebel Kid) in hot water for their allegedly “obscene remarks”. News agency ANI reports that a police complaint has been filed against the three, as well as the organisers of the show. Earlier today, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also weighed in on the controversy, warning that free speech has its limits.

“I have been informed about this, though I have not watched it yet,” Fadnavis told reporters. “I came to know that it was very vulgar and this was wrong. Everyone has freedom of speech but this freedom ends when we encroach upon others’ freedom. Everyone has limits, if anyone crosses them, action will be taken.”

Allahbadia’s remarks on the episode which was released only for members of Raina’s YouTube channel on 8 February (and also featured Ashish Chanchlani and Jaspreet Singh), sparked the controversy. “Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life or would you join in once and stop it forever?” he asked a contestant in a short clip that went viral on social media, drawing criticism from politicians and activists.

“This isn’t creative,” Congress leader Supriya Shrinate wrote on X. “It’s pervert. And we can’t normalise perverse behaviour as cool. The fact that this sick comment met loud applause must worry us all.”

Mumbai-based lawyers Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra have filed an FIR over the alleged use of ‘abusive language’ on the show and for ‘promoting obscenity’, as reported by ANI. They have written to Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phalsankar and the State Women’s Commission demanding the show be shut down. The report names Raina, Allahbadia, Makhija and the organisers of the show.

Allahbadia issued an apology this afternoon on X. “My comment wasn’t just inappropriate, it wasn’t even funny,” he said. “Comedy is not my forte. I’m just here to say sorry. Many of you asked if this is how I wish to use my platform and obviously this is not how I wish to use it. […] I personally had a lapse in judgement. Wasn’t cool on my part.”

Since it launched in June 2024, India’s Got Latent has taken the country by storm, with every episode trending in the top 10 on YouTube India. Raina also recently released an app for the show that climbed to the top 50 of Google Play Store apps and was at first place on Apple’s App Store in India.