The recent YouTube show, India’s Got Latent, aimed for millions of views. Sponsors were trying to get quick deals out of it. Nevertheless, the show came under fire for its abusive content. It also contained indecent language. The show’s owner, Comedian Samay Raina, faced big trouble. Fellow judges, like Beer Biceps aka Ranveer Allahabadia, were also affected after a few comments sparked outrage on social media. FIRs were registered against all of them. The cyber police of Maharashtra took cognizance of the incident and investigated the case. The matter is sub judice before the Supreme Court of India, and a thorough legal case is being conducted. The show has been removed from social media platforms.
The format featured a panel of judges. They evaluated participants’ raw talent from across India. Comedy and roasting were part of the process. Roasting is often likened to stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedians have used abusive language in the name of humor. They have been reaping fame from it for a while now. India’s Got Latent was the most-watched roast show in the Indian comedy circle. Samay Raina was earning a fortune and gaining fame and recognition in abundance. But what changed the scenario?
According to the show’s host, the content shown fell under the purview of dark comedy. Dark comedy is a form of humor. It addresses sensitive subjects like death, sexuality, and other taboo topics. This is done in a humorous, often irreverent manner. The audience needs to have thick skin to consume dark humor. It can be offensive at times. Nonetheless, the timing of the joke should align well with the target audience. The tone should also suit them. In India, we live under the influence of old traditions. At the same time, we are taking a step ahead into the future of neo-Socio-economic conditions. In this context, the dark humor content is not appreciated enough. The audience is not ready to digest the format.
Yet, there is a thin line between vulgarity and crude dark humor. A specific line has been drawn to safeguard the sanctity of the comedy; otherwise, it is putrid at times. No stand-up comedian can speak whatever comes to their mind, utter vulgar words, and label them as dark humor. Sadly, Samay Raina was the frontrunner among stand-up comedians. He championed the use of abusive content in the name of humor. He got away with it for a long time. Today’s youth and Gen-Z generation are well-versed in this type of linguistic porn and are very fond of it. Stand-up comics took advantage of this precarious state and minted money through shows and online subscriptions. At a point, it becomes a multi-million-dollar business of greed and obscenity. The comedians and their parents were okay with the show’s content as long as the money came.
Somehow, clips from the show were leaked, and people reacted online. As usual, news channels conducted many debates to increase their TRPs and deliver lectures on morality. Many people from the liberal circle viewed this as a matter of free speech. Still, they forgot that the freedom of speech and expression comes with certain restrictions. The IT Act has provisions that deal with obscenity and the sale of abusive content online. Several other provisions of law were also violated in the Latent case. Remarkably, the Supreme Court is now probing a matter where the said comedian used insensitive remarks against disabled people.
The impacts of these contents are far-reaching, affecting vulnerable groups, including teenagers and children. The new normal involves using slang in daily conversations. It also includes instilling dirty, dark thought processes into young minds. These changes will be detrimental in the future. Vulgar content creates a clear imbalance in India’s cultural and social equilibrium. Not only stand-ups but also Netflix, social media platforms, and free apps have been beacons for vulgarity.
The Supreme Court must define the limits of vulgarity in online content. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also needs to set up a clear Laxman Rekha. In the future, shows like Latent that aren’t high-quality shouldn’t be promoted. A thorough examination should be conducted before airing anything online. The absence of guidelines has led to this problem and must be adequately addressed at the earliest opportunity. A proper landmark example should be given in the Latent case. It will help others understand what happens when someone crosses the line. This line is between dark humor and just vomiting profanity and obscenity.
The Witty Stride 