The past week has been all about "what happens when the mouth opens", composer AR Rahman said at the audio launch of Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava in an oblique reference to the controversy surrounding influencer Ranveer Allahbadia.
At the event, held on Wednesday night in Mumbai, Vicky asked Rahman to describe his music using "just three emojis".
"You want me (to) keep my mouth closed," Rahman said after some contemplation, referring to the emoji.
"I think in the past week we have seen what all happens when mouth opens," he added, eliciting roaring laughter from both Vicky and the audience.
To which Vicky, who plays Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the period drama, replied: "Talk about roasting." Rahman is the latest celebrity to have joined the growing discourse around Ranveer’s comment, which many have deemed "vulgar" and "irresponsible", on comic Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent.
On Wednesday night, Samay said he has removed all episodes of India's Got Latent from his YouTube channel in the wake of the controversy.
In his first response since the fracas ensued earlier this week, Samay said he will fully cooperate with all the investigating agencies in their probe.
In an apology video on X on Monday, Ranveer admitted that his comment was not only inappropriate, but also not funny.
A day later, the controversial episode was removed by YouTube following orders from the central government. India's Got Latent, which premiered in June 2024, had aired 18 episodes.
Amid criticism, there were some voices of support like fashion influencer Uorfi Javed and actor Rakhi Sawant for Raina.
Munawar Faruqui, who has had his fair share of run-ins with the law, openly came out in support of Raina and compared the fellow comic's art to a "spring" which cannot be suppressed.
"Samay (heart emoji)... Art joh hai woh spring ki hai, jitnaa dabaoge utnaa uper uthega... My G is going to come out so strong you will see," Munawar wrote on his Instagram story.
Upcoming comic Sharon Verma, one of the winners on India's Got Latent, defended Samay after he deleted all episodes of the reality web series from his YouTube channel.
"IGL gave me so much man. it was the reason i could actually pursue this dream of doing comedy. cant believe how its turned out. samay's genuinely been a big brother to us (sic)" Sharon wrote on X.
But trouble for Ranveer and Samay is far from over.
Besides widespread criticism, police complaints have been filed against both Ranveer and Samay in cities, including Mumbai, Guwahati, and Indore.
The Mumbai Police have so far recorded the statements of seven persons, including social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, in connection with Ranveer’s comments, officials said on Thursday.
Ranveer is likely to appear before the city police in a day or two, they said.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also asked Ranveer, Samay, and other panellists Apoorva, Jaspreet Singh, and Ashish Chanchlani, as well as the show's producers Tushar Poojari and Saurabh Bothra to appear before it on February 17 in New Delhi.
On Wednesday, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed Samay’s upcoming stand-up shows in Gujarat have been cancelled following the outrage.
The Maharashtra Cyber Department has also registered a First Information Report under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act against the show. More than 40 people, including Ranveer and Samay, have been summoned to join the probe.
Earlier this week, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske raised the issue in Parliament as he called for a law to regulate social media.
Ranveer, who has interviewed guests ranging from the biggest names in Bollywood to ministers like S Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani, also suffered a setback for his show as singer B Praak called off an appearance on the influencer's podcast.
Previously, Vir Das shared his opinion on the controversy, criticising TV media's endless coverage on Ranveer without naming the influencer.
Calling Ranveer a "mouthpiece of the current government", comic Aditi Mittal criticised the influencer for spreading misogyny, misinformation, bigotry, and communalism through his podcasts.
"YouTubers have more views than all TV channels put together. A politician will have to take a subscription of YouTube to see that show... Because nothing (else) is happening in the country," she said in an Instagram video, hours before Samay announced that he was removing all episodes of India's Got Latent.
In an Instagram Story, actor Akansha Ranjan Kapoor asked authorities to get their priorities straight.
"Guys I think I'm losing my mind.. so marital rape is ok? Any and all rape is ok? Killing us with hazardous air quality is fine. People literally falling into potholes and dying is fine. Pay inequality / bribery/caste system/taxes that are killing the middle class is all MAST! But apne moral standing par koi kaise dhabba dal sakta hai? (sic)" she wrote.