When Jokes Make Headlines but Real Issues Don’t

 

"India’s Got Latent" was a YouTube show hosted by Samay Raina, featuring celebrity judges and contestants showcasing hidden talents. Contestants rated their performances, and if their rating matched the judges', they could win ticket sale earnings.

Although the show contained offensive jokes, Samay's audience knew what they were subscribing to before attending the live performance or watching any episodes of “India’s Got Latent”.

On February 8, an episode featuring guests Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, Ashish Chanchalani, and Jaspreet Singh sparked controversy due to a question Ranveer asked a contestant. He asked, “Would you rather watch your parents have s*x every day or join in once and then stop forever?” Ranveer accepted his mistake and apologized, saying, “Comedy is not my forte”.

Meanwhile, Apoorva Mukhija was attacked for “talking about the female reproductive part” by people who generally abuse their friends or people around them with either the “mother” word or “sister” word. Also, In the episode, it’s evident that the contestant to whom Apoorva made a comeback comment was the one who was talking about “having sensations in vagina”, she merely took a stand for herself, since when does self-defense count as committing a crime?

While I agree that a show intended for public release should avoid using obscene language, don’t you think most content creators often include such language? A singer can make comments about a woman’s body in their songs, a dancer may perform suggestive movements on family-oriented programs, and a family comedy show might reference a "Russian girl’s prize." Yet, when two content creators interact—one making an immature comment and the other defending herself—they are suddenly labeled as criminals. The creators do not deserve harassment or threats against their families. They are receiving public rape and death threats on social media; isn't that a crime? Just recently, Honey Singh performed a vulgar dance move in front of the entire audience at his concert, but he has not faced any questioning or criticism for it. Is it considered acceptable behavior? Where are the human rights advocates in this situation? I think the government and police should work on things that genuinely need attention rather than something that could have been solved only by making them apologize for what they said and having them take down the video. Issues like women’s safety, healthcare, education, etc., should be taken care of as a priority. Still, everyone in the world is talking about a “joke” that did not cause any physical OR mental harm to anyone. Still, we won’t talk about the girls going through eve-teasing on every corner of the road. Still, they want to talk about a “joke” but not about the fact that everyone is asked to keep their mouth shut when a girl or even a boy gets raped.

The issue with this country's leaders is that while they discuss growth, unity, and the protection of everyone, they fail to take meaningful action. A person accused of rape can go free to harm others again potentially, yet someone who made a joke is summoned to court for a hearing!