Comedian Sunil Pal has reacted to Samay Raina being felicitated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a cyber-awareness event in Mumbai, calling the development “Ghor kalyug.”

Samay was among the celebrities recognised for their contribution to the cyber-awareness short film Digital Arrest and the 1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem at an event organised by Maharashtra Cyber on Wednesday. Actors Ashish Vidyarthi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sharad Kelkar, Sonali Bendre, Javed Jaffery and Mangesh Desai, along with singer Sunidhi Chauhan, were also present.

In a video shared after the event, Sunil Pal questioned how Raina could be felicitated following the controversy surrounding his YouTube show India’s Got Latent.

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“Ghor kalyug aa gaya hai, Ghor kalyug,” Pal said, before making a reference to the old OK soap advertisement. “Jo OK sabun se nahaye, kamal sa khil jaye ab wo ulta ho gaya hai…(Those who bathe with OK soap will bloom like a lotus,’ but now the opposite seems to be happening…)”

Sunil Pal questions India’s Got Latent content

Pal also criticised the language used on India’s Got Latent, saying both participants and members of the panel used abusive language.

“Is he being honoured because he uses abusive language and makes a show like Latent? The participants use abusive language, the panellists use abusive language, and some of the abuses are such that you cannot even listen to them or present them in front of others.”

The controversy around India’s Got Latent erupted in February 2025 after a remark by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia on the show triggered widespread backlash and legal complaints. Raina later removed the show’s episodes from his YouTube channel.

 

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A post shared by Sunil Pal Comedian (@sunilpalcomedian)

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‘What message will this send to new comedians?’

Pal said Raina’s felicitation could send the wrong message to aspiring comedians, suggesting they might believe controversy and legal trouble could eventually lead to fame and recognition.

“What message will this send to new comedians? That if you want to be honoured, first become a comedian, use abusive language, get police cases filed against yourself and create some controversy so big that the police have to drag you to the police station. Then you make the news. After making the news, your show returns and becomes a success again. Once you become successful, everyone will salute you. The very police officers who were once beating you up will now provide you with security.”

Samay Raina jokes about his past run-ins with Maharashtra Cyber

Interestingly, Samay himself joked about the irony of being honoured by the Maharashtra Cyber department, given his past run-ins with the authorities.

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Thanking Fadnavis for the honour, he said, “Thank you for the felicitation, sir. My association with Maha Cyber has been going on for a very long time.”

Samay then joked about the Maharashtra Cyber helpline number, saying, “1930 is really a great number. I have actually saved it because I often get calls from there.”

Raina then praised Maharashtra Cyber’s efficiency, continuing the joke about his own experience with the department. “The Maha Cyber Cell is very active. I can tell you this for sure — whether you are in the US or India, they will catch you. They are brilliant. This is for the first time when a cyber cell officer went to a comedian’s house, picked him up, and felicitated him.”

He was referring to the controversy that erupted in February 2025 after comments made by Ranveer Allahbadia on an episode of Raina’s YouTube show India’s Got Latent went viral.

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The controversy began after Allahbadia asked a contestant an inappropriate “would you rather” question involving their parents. The episode sparked widespread backlash, with multiple FIRs filed against Raina, Allahbadia and Apoorva Makhija, among others. They later issued public apologies, while Raina removed all episodes of India’s Got Latent from YouTube and stayed away from the public eye for a period.

Raina returned to the stage in April 2026 with his stand-up special Still Alive, before bringing back India’s Got Latent for its second season in association with Netflix.