Last year, the Indian online entertainment scene was rocked by a controversy involving Ashish Chanchlani, Ranveer Allahbadia, and Apoorva Mukhija during an episode of Samay Raina’s show, India’s Got Latent. A particular clip from the episode went viral, leading to significant backlash. Recently, Ashish commented on the incident, noting that he had cautioned Ranveer against excessive joking during the show.
In a recent podcast with Prakhar Gupta, Ashish reflected on the reaction to their episode, which aired in February 2023 but was filmed earlier in November 2022. He mentioned that the outrage surrounding the show had been building for some time and that he underestimated how intense the backlash would become. “It wasn’t just our episode; there was a lot of inappropriate content prior that led to increased anger,” he explained.
During the taping, Ashish advised Ranveer to tone down his humor. Although he acknowledged that the show’s format invites unrestrained conversations, he believed some of the comments crossed a line. He shared that after the episode, he had contacted Ranveer to express concerns that things could become problematic. Ranveer reassured him that the intention was to keep the atmosphere light and entertaining.
Ashish confessed feeling uncomfortable with his performance during the episode, believing he had not contributed meaningfully to the discussion. He expressed that if his segment had been cut from the final edit, it might not have been a loss. Moreover, the surge of controversy took him by surprise, and he felt relieved to have remained mostly quiet during the commotion.
The incident that sparked the controversy occurred when Ranveer posed a provocative question to a contestant, asking whether they would prefer to watch their parents engage in sexual activity every day for life or participate once to put an end to it. While the comment elicited laughter from some attendees, it angered others, including politicians and social media users, resulting in several FIRs against the individuals involved. In February, Ashish was called to provide a statement to the Assam police, and later appeared before the National Commission for Women.
In response to the situation, Ashish shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, urging his fans to keep him and his family in their thoughts. He conveyed his emotions regarding the backlash and emphasized a willingness to navigate challenging circumstances, stating, “We will fight through this situation; we have seen tough times and will learn something new from this.”
On a professional note, Ashish has embarked on a new project in the sci-fi genre with his YouTube series titled Ekaki, where he takes on multiple roles as writer, director, producer, and actor.