Vivek Agnihotri known for making ‘The Kashmir Files’ is known for always being very vocal about his opinions. The film-maker has now penned a letter as he came out in support of Samay Raina. For those not in the know, the comedian’s show ‘India’s Got Latent‘ has been in the news for a while for all the controversial remarks on it. Things went overboard recently when Ranveer Allahbadia had featured on the recent episode with Ashish Chachlani, Apoorva Makhija. Ranveer made an insensitive remark as he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?”
Samay issued an apology and also removed all the videos of ‘India’s Got Latent’ from Youtube. He also said that he would co-operate with the police as FIR has been filed against them. Vivek reacted to this controversy as he quoted Samay’s tweet and said, “Today, as a Kashmiri Pandit,@ReheSamay must have experienced how it feels when people who don’t agree with you come to lynch you. Welcome to the club.”
He further penned a long note, criticising the excessive slamming towards the content and the interference of politicians, religious organisations in this. The film-maker wrote, “TECHNOLOGY VS SOCIAL MORALS: The Case of Samay Raina and the Digital Generation. In the last two decades, technology has evolved at an unprecedented pace. But while technology is the product of the human mind, the human brain itself is not designed to adapt as quickly as its own creation. This gap has created a moral and cultural conflict—an inability to distinguish between what is genuinely wrong and what is merely different.”
He added, “Samay Raina (@ReheSamay) is a product of this new digital era. Anyone with an analogue-wired mind struggles to understand him or his audience. It’s not just about comedy—it’s about an entirely different way of thinking. Today’s parents don’t understand their digital-native kids. Teachers face the same disconnect. Employers too. The divide isn’t just generational—it’s existential.”
Vivek pointed out at the problematic things in other places and said, “The outrage over vulgarity in comedy is selective and hypocritical. India has always had social space for irreverent humor —wedding songs, Holi celebrations, Tepa Sammelans, Gadha Sammelans, Nautanki, Parsi theatre, double-meaning Bollywood dialogues, and poetry gatherings (Kavi Sammelans and Mushairas) have all been filled with innuendos, satire, and social defiance. But as political and religious forces tighten their grip, these art forms are dying. Comedians like Samay Raina are merely filling that void.”
The director pointed out at how the audience may decide what’s right or wrong but politics and religion shouldn’t get invovled here. “The real question is: What happens if the digital generation turns the mirror around? What if they unite and expose the vulgarity, hate, and double standards of politicians, religious leaders, and legacy media? Will they be silenced too?I strongly believe, comedy is a social issue; let society decide its morality. Politics and religion have no authority to interfere. That’s why, trolling on social media is acceptable but debating it in the parliament is a total waste of country’s productivity,” he said.
He opined, “Just because you have the power to destroy young creators doesn’t mean you should wield it recklessly. A knife in hand does not justify murder. If we truly care about our society, we should nurture creative minds, not lynch them. A society built on #CreativeConsciousness is the only one that can thrive in modern times. Anything else is just resistance to the inevitable.”
The film-maker concluded with some words of motivation for Samay and said, “Dear
@ReheSamay, all I can say is this: तुम्हें टूटना नहीं है, तुम्हें हारना नहीं है। तुम्हें सिर्फ़ सीखना है। Learn from the waves of the sea, aur yehi jeevan bhi hai:
जीवन है समुंदर की लहरों जैसा—उठना, गिरना,
राह आती चट्टानों से टकराना, टूटना,
फिर बनना, बिगड़ना, उठना, गिरना,
पर न कभी झुकना, न हारना।”