Pranit More's recent stand-up show featuring web developer Himanshu Jangra has sparked widespread debate online after his controversial Rs 370 biryani remark. Several social media users and celebrities have called out Himanshu for his remark and Pranit for promoting the clip on social media. Elvish Yadav has also reacted to the controversy. He criticised Pranit More for letting Himanshu make the remark and then sharing the video on social media, which helped it reach a wider audience.
Elvish took to his X account and slammed both Himanshu and Pranit. Elvish wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "₹370 ki biryani ne do cheezein expose kar di: Ek aadmi ko laga consent ka MRP hota hai. Aur ek comedian ko laga har uncomfortable silence ko laughter track se bachaya ja sakta hai. Biryani toh dum pe bani thi, controversy ego pe? (The ₹370 biryani exposed two things: one man believed consent had a price tag, and another comedian believed every uncomfortable silence could be saved with a laughter track. )"
Details of the Rs 370 biryani controversy
During Pranit's Gurugram show, one audience member, Himanshu shared an anecdote from his dating incident. While sharing a personal experience, he spoke about expecting physical intimacy after taking a woman on a date and paying for her Rs 370 biryani. He did not stop there; his comments suggested he expected compensation for the amount he spent on the meal. He said, "Maine kaha ki Rs 370 lage hain to usse to vasool to karunga hi."
As soon as the video was shared on social media, Himanshu faced huge backlash and the incident started a debate about consent and the sexism that still exists in society.
Bigg Boss 19 fame Pranit More also faced severe backlash for providing Himanshu a platform to make the misogynistic remark publicly and for laughing along with him. He was also criticised for sharing the video on social media to promote his show.
Pranit faced criticism and deactivated his account
Many questioned Pranit for not speaking up against Himanshu's remarks during his comedy performance. Kusha Kapil also reacted to the controversy and took to Instagram to call him out. She shared a note on her Instagram Stories and said, "Urge women to call out disgusting comedy plenty. Please darna mat (Don't feel scared). Bakwaas kiya he toh drag karo badiya se (If they have spoken nonsense then feel free to drag it too). Uploading a clip like that is a choice. Choosing to crack certain jokes and hosting that on your channel is a choice. This, btw, is not comedy. This is content designed to get a reaction. I am so glad that so many women are calling it out."
She added, "Bahut achcha lag raha hai! Bahut mazza aa raha hai! Aaj main apne paiso se order karke biryani khaungi (I feel amazing, it feels great to see this. I will order biryani with my own money and eat it tonight)."
After the controversy erupted, Pranit allegedly deactivated his Instagram account. Earlier, this month, the stand-up comedian issued a public apology after the controversy. His post read, "I've seen the criticism regarding a recent crowdwork clip. The comments made by the audience member do not reflect my views. Looking back, I should have challenged the remark instead of laughing and moving on. That was a lapse in judgement on my part. Live crowdwork often involves reacting in real time, but that's not an excuse. I take the feedback seriously and will be more thoughtful in how I handle similar situations going forward. We've also removed the video from all our platforms, as I don't want to amplify or normalize those views."
He further said, "I appreciate everyone who raised their concerns respectfully. I sincerely apologize for whatever happened, and I'll take this lesson forward. I'm human, and like anyone else, I'm constantly learning. Being called out when I get something wrong doesn't make me smaller, but helps me grow. I accept that I could have handled this better, and I'll be more mindful to never unintentionally support or normalize such views in the future."
Pranit More was last seen in Bigg Boss 19 and was one of the finalists.
