Comedian Pranit More found himself at the centre of a controversy in June this year after he was criticised for not calling out a deeply misogynistic remark made by an audience member during one of his shows. The comedian faced intense backlash on social media, following which he took a break from performing stand-up. Now, Pranit has announced his comeback with a new stand-up special, Ghayal, but the announcement has already drawn comparisons with Samay Raina’s comeback special, Still Alive.
Pranit More announces comeback
On Wednesday, Pranit took to Instagram and shared a poster for his upcoming stand-up special, Ghayal. Alongside the poster, he wrote, “GHAYAL. I can’t change what happened, but I can choose who I become because of it. Ghayal is the story of that journey. Beginning in Mumbai.”
The announcement quickly sparked reactions online, with some users comparing the tone of Pranit’s post to Samay’s announcement of Still Alive. One user wrote, “You are not Samay Raina…don’t try to be him. You are not good at this.Why do people assume that they can spark a trashy controversy, make a comeback, and expect everyone to just forgive and forget?” Another commented, “Everyone knew he would pull something similar to what Samay did.”
Another user wrote, “Samay’s cancellation was uncalled for. His was valid. ghayal?!” Another commented, “He thinks he can copy Samay.”
However, several fans welcomed Pranit’s return to the stand-up circuit. One fan wrote, “Missed you bhau. So happy to see you back after a long time.” Another commented, “Ohhh bhaisahab, finallyyyyy! It’s genuinely so good to see you back. Thank you for coming back. Take good care of yourself. We’ll always be rooting for you and we’re truly proud to be die-hard fans of a true gentleman like you.” Another fan wrote, “King is back to entertain.”
Samay Raina’s comeback after India’s Got Latent controversy
In February 2025, Samay Raina found himself embroiled in a major controversy after Ranveer Allahbadia’s remarks about parents and sex on an episode of Samay’s show, India’s Got Latent, sparked widespread backlash. FIRs were filed against Samay, Ranveer and others involved in the episode, following which Samay removed all episodes of the show from YouTube.
Samay later returned to stand-up with his special Still Alive. During the special, he spoke about the emotional toll the controversy had taken on him and later announced the return of India’s Got Latent with its second season.
About the ₹370 biryani row
The controversy involving Pranit More stemmed from a remark made by an audience member, Himanshu Jangra, while recounting a date during one of Pranit’s stand-up shows. During the interaction, Himanshu claimed that he had spent around ₹370 on chicken biryani for a woman he was on a date with. When she later asked him to drop her home, he said he expected to “recover” the money he had spent on the meal. Pranit laughed along with the audience and called the exchange “Peak Gurgaon content”, leading to widespread criticism online.
The clip sparked a debate over misogyny, consent and the responsibility of comedians during crowd-work performances. Pranit later apologised and acknowledged that he should not have laughed at or encouraged the audience member’s remarks.
The controversy also escalated beyond social media. Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR over the misogynistic remarks, while the National Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of the matter.