YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia has finally spoken out about the controversy surrounding ‘India’s Got Latent’. In his latest podcast episode, featuring Buddhist monk Palga Rinpoche, he reflected on the backlash and its impact on his mental well-being. He admitted that the experience was emotionally exhausting and left him questioning himself.
Ranveer Allahbadia on how the controversy affected him
In Monday’s episode of his podcast, Ranveer shared how the situation deeply affected him. “My mental health took a toll at that time… I was trying to be reflective, thinking about what else I have done wrong apart from that remark. I was doing meditation and trying to calm down… My family was hurt, and I was heartbroken. During that phase, I had to handle myself, my family, and my team. I kept asking myself, ‘What just happened?’ So many losses, I hurt family members, and things that I had to endure,” he said.
People advised him to take a step back from content creation
He revealed that several people advised him to take a step back from content creation to recover from the controversy. However, he remains firm in his belief that hard work is the only way forward. “Some people said that I should take a break from content creation for 1-2 years because if something this bad has happened, it might be due to a long-term series of mistakes on my part. But I believe that I have reached this point through my actions and hard work. Toh agar iss daldal se nikalna hoga toh vo bhi action aur mehnat se hi hoga, I think (If I have to get out of this mess, it will also be through action and hard work),” he added.
Lessons and moving forward
Despite the public criticism, Ranveer said the past few weeks have been a learning experience for him. “I’m undergoing self-reflection, but I still haven’t found the answers. The approach for transformation is to learn from mistakes and move forward… I will make Indians understand. My personal ambitions have taken a backseat. I’ve understood the world a lot in these three weeks. And I don’t mean this in a negative way. When such situations arise, people’s true character is revealed. I saw a lot of good in people too. My close friends and mentors stood by me, and even people I had never met before reached out to help,” he explained.
What led to the controversy?
Ranveer landed in hot water after making a controversial remark during his appearance on comedian Samay Raina’s show, India’s Got Latent. In one of the episodes, he asked a contestant an inappropriate question: “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?” The clip sparked a major backlash online, with many calling it distasteful. Multiple FIRs were filed against the show’s creators and participants, adding to the severity of the situation.