• Ranveer Allahbadia made a disgusting comment on Samay Raina’s show. triggering widespread backlash, police investigations, and public apologies.
• Ranveer is on a journey of self-discovery. However, his utilitarian principles may be doing him a complete disservice.
I first came across Ranveer Allahbaida last week as our brother Imran Hussain of Sapience Institute appeared on his podcast BeerBiceps. This was genuinely such a brilliant podcast, I was so engrossed, I think I did an extra twenty minutes on the cross trainer without even realising! In it, Ranveer and brother Imran traversed topics from the occult to the Qur’an. Ranveer came across as respectful, sincere, very open minded and keen to learn about other people and ideologies. Kudos to him regarding this due to the rampant Islamophobia pervasive in Modi’s India today. In fact, Ranveer has on record corrected Islamophobic rhetoric in the past.
With a substantial following of 8.21 million followers on YouTube, he covers topics such as spirituality, well-being, religion and has welcomed a range of guests on his show such as Rio Ferdinand, Mr Beast and various Bollywood celebrities, stating that he only discusses what he’s genuinely interested in as opposed to following trends.
However, chaos has been spiralling on social Media since Monday, when the entrepreneur and content creator asked an utterly shocking and grotesque question during his appearance on Samay Rahina’s show India’s Got Latent.
During the show, Ranveer, who was a panelist, directed his question to a contestant, one that will haunt him like Marley’s ghost in A Christmas Carol! I consider the question too repugnant to repeat, though you can view it here.
At that moment, Ranveer appeared self-satisfied with his joke, buoyed by the laughter of both the audience and panel in the video. However, once the episode aired, it was clear that not everyone shared his amusement. Before long, the backlash intensified, leading to a complaint against Ranveer Allahbadia for “promoting obscenity” and using offensive language. The complaint was submitted to both the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the National Commission for Women. Consequently, the Mumbai Police launched an inquiry and registered an FIR—not only against Ranveer but also against social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, who appeared on the show, and comedian Samay Raina.
In response to the backlash, Ranveer issued two apology videos. One in which he was seen crying:
Through his conversations, it becomes clear that Ranveer is still on a path of self-discovery. He mentions that while he doesn’t adhere to Hinduism, he believes in seeking a personal truth that feels right for each individual.
India’s liberalisation has manifested in myriad ways, with troubling consequences. We see how when life is guided by utilitarian principles, it inevitably leads to harm. Furthermore, without an objective truth to anchor your moral compass, how can one discern the line between right and wrong?
