New Delhi: YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, in a post on X, said how one incident had “shaken” 10 years of brand building for his platforms, BeerBiceps and The Ranveer Show. He added that a doha by the Bhakti poet Kabir offered him guidance and support. Allahbadia’s post ignited a fresh public spat between him and comedian Kunal Kamra, once again triggering the debate around free speech and accountability following the India’s Got Latent controversy in 2025.
“When the team looked to me for next steps, I found myself going back to Sant Kabir’s doha: ‘Dheere-dheere re mana, dheere sab kuch hoye, maali seenche 100 ghada Reetu aaye fal hoye (Slowly slowly, o heart, everything happens slowly at its own pace; the gardener may water with a 100 pitchers but the tree bears fruit only when the season comes)’,” the post read.
Kamra responded to the content creator, saying that Allahbadia was milking the controversy and ignoring the wider consequences on India’s comedy ecosystem, which affected more than 30 comedians. Kamra claimed that artists, including himself, were “summoned” by authorities for their past appearances on the show after Allahbadia’s infamous remarks went viral.
“The whole comedy fraternity took a hit because of how stupid you’re. Shows were cancelled, venues pulled out, judgements made, the pathetic shadow of your stupidity still continues to make the lives of funny comedians difficult. You didn’t even care to understand that side,” Kamra commented on Allahbadia’s post.
He further asked Allahbadia to stop pretending to be the nice guy: “Stop pretending to be the nice guy you’re not. Take your cheques, lower your gaze & be very ashamed. You’re a contraceptive for creativity, stop milking this & go back to what you do best, which is being a hurdle for upward social change while FraudCasting & clout chasing.”
While appearing on comedian Samay Raina’s Hindi-language show, India’s Got Latent, on YouTube, Allahbadia made a controversial remark about parents that sparked social media outrage across the country. Several FIRs were filed on both Allahbadia and Raina. The incident also led to legal scrutiny on multiple creators and questioned the extent of freedom of speech in India. As a result, the show was cancelled, including several other stand-up events.
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Has social media forgiven Ranveer Allahbadia?
A year later, social media is once again divided on the matter. Some sympathised with Allahbadia’s struggle with reputational damage amid the pressures of digital content creation.
“Ranveer reached for Sant Kabir when the modern playbook had no answers. That is itself the lesson. The gardener does not abandon the garden because one storm came. Slow down. Stay rooted. Keep watering. What took ten years to build has ten years of roots the storm couldn’t reach,” wrote one user.
While others questioned his foundation.
“With all due respect, one incident shook 10 years of work? That just shows how fragile the foundation was. Maybe introspection over poetry would help more,” read an X post.
One X user offered the influencer advice on how to overcome this scandal.
“Just try to be humble, deep, and not chase clout. Your guest list probably is more driven by who will get you more views, and it is not entirely wrong, but then it is very superficial. I actually liked it when you were interviewing Footballers and doing something you love. You do it very less and I can see it is difficult for you to avoid the numbers game. Plus, try to be more opinionated but in a deeper sense. Speak truth to power or don’t invite any politicians,” wrote Aniruddh Thakur.
People also criticised Kamra and called him a “left-wing propagandist”.
“Kunal, don’t act ‘holier than thou.’ You are same as Allahabadia, a moron who can see only one side of a coin. He is a right-wing propagandist, and you are a left-wing propagandist. None of you have real moral principles, just a puppet of your masters. You should be ashamed of yourself,” read one post.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)