Shark Tank India’s Anupam Mittal recently addressed the controversy surrounding Ranveer Allahbadia’s remarks on Samay Raina’s show, India’s Got Latent. Taking to LinkedIn, Mittal condemned the comments as “unacceptable” while also pointing fingers at social media giants like YouTube for enabling and benefiting from such content.
Mittal urged the High Court to summon YouTube along with the comedians, questioning why only Allahbadia and his co-host, Apoorva, were being held accountable. He acknowledged that the statements made on the show were crass and offensive but argued that the deeper issue lay with the algorithm-driven landscape of social media.
“Summon YouTube to the High Court too, why just Ranveer and Apoorva? See, what happened was messy, crass, and undeniably wrong. The statements & language used are totally unacceptable in any civilized society. But before we get all sanskari & load up our guns, let’s understand what the real issue is,” Mittal wrote.
He pointed out that India’s Got Latent was never meant to be a morally upright show, describing it as a platform built on irreverence and shock value. “Like it or hate it, that was the show. So, when the host & guests cross the line, can we get scandalized? That’s literally the algorithmic jackpot from their perspective,” he remarked.
Mittal criticized social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, arguing that they promote virality but avoid accountability when controversies arise. He emphasized that Allahbadia had already issued an apology, suggesting that public focus should shift to the bigger issue of platform responsibility.
“I personally think Ranveer, Apoorva, Samay et al. are actually victims caught in an endless cycle of provocation for their relevance and survival,” he continued, before concluding, “The real culprits are ‘Big Tech’ who take cover under digital intermediary laws that allow them to flout all responsibility & accountability. Imagine a newspaper or a TV channel publishing the type of content that these platforms carry with total impunity.”
For those unfamiliar with the situation, India’s Got Latent has come under legal scrutiny after Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as BeerBiceps, made an inappropriate remark during an episode. The controversy erupted when he asked a contestant an indecent question, allegedly proposing a shocking act in exchange for Rs 2 crore. The remark sparked widespread outrage, with politicians and film personalities joining the public in condemning Allahbadia’s statement. As a result, both Allahbadia and Raina now face multiple FIRs.
