Can India take the 'roast'? The fine line between humour and offence

Ranveer Allahabadia's joke on Samay Raina's show India's Got Latent reignites discussions on roast comedy, its acceptance in India, and why the format continues to face backlash

"In logon ko desh se nikal dena chahiye," said actor and host Shekhar Suman while reacting to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial joke on Samay Raina's show, India's Got Latent. Suman is not the only renowned personality who has called out Allahbadia for his joke. A former WWE wrestler even threatened Allahbadia, going on to say that "no one, including his security, can save him from me for what he said on the show." 

During an episode of India’s Got Latent, a show with themes of roast comedy, Ranveer Allahbadia posed a provocative question to a contestant: "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?" While Allahbadia's joke may have been inane, the reaction to it has been insane: cases have been lodged against him and others on the show's panel across different states, even as the podcaster has apologised for the joke.

 

 

The show and the controversy around it evoke déjà vu, recalling a similar situation in the past when another show drew attention for its bold jokes and roast comedy format. At the time, AIB Knockout, created by Tanmay Bhat in 2015 and featuring celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, and Karan Johar, led to multiple FIRs and the eventual removal of the video from online platforms.

 

The question that comes to mind is why roast comedy struggles to gain acceptance among Indian audiences and is often criticised for "ruining the youth." Is this format still unexplored, or are people simply unaware of its nuances? Let’s take a deep dive into the origins of roast comedy, its presence in Indian culture, and why it faces a lack of acceptance here.

 

What is roast comedy?

 

Roast comedy is a form of insult comedy where a guest is invited to become the subject of jokes. The invited individual is called a 'roastee,' and the person who performs the jokes is called a 'roastmaster.' Anyone mocked in such a way is said to have been roasted.

 

Insult comedy is distinguished from satire as it is directed towards individuals or the audience. It is also often used to handle hecklers in the audience.

 

Modern-day roast comedy is believed to have originated at the New York Friars Club in the early 20th century. The private club’s membership consisted mostly of people from show business who gathered to talk freely and perform roasts.

 

However, it gained popularity in the 1950s when club members Sam Levenson and comedian Joe E. Lewis were roasted. Since the inaugural roasting, the club has hosted an annual roast of a member.

 

Roast in Indian culture

 

If one really thinks about it, roast culture exists within Indian households, among sibling banter and school friends.

 

Culturally, it has also been part of wedding traditions in the Hindi heartland, where the bride’s relatives welcome the baraat by singing gaari—songs with bawdy and insulting lyrics directed at the groom’s relatives, mostly by women. Those subjected to these songs often enjoy them, laughing along and accepting them as part of the culture. By incorporating sexual innuendos and societal critiques, gaari songs provide women with a platform to express themselves freely within the traditionally conservative context of Indian weddings.

 

Roast comedy on Indian television

 

Satire has been a part of Indian show business for decades, but roast comedy entered much later—softly introduced with the rise of stand-up comedy.

 

Comedian Kapil Sharma was among the first to introduce insult comedy on his show. The Kapil Sharma Show, which airs on Sony TV, features Sharma as the host, often performing skits at the start. Actress Sumona, who played his wife on the show, was frequently the target of jokes—Sharma mocked her for her "big lips," among other things. Another actor, Kiku Sharda, was often teased about his weight.

 

Around the same time, Colors TV aired Comedy Nights Bachao, featuring comedians Krushna Abhishek and Sudesh Lehri. It was India's first proper roast comedy show on television and ran for nearly two years. The jokes performed on the shows were offensive too and often attracted criticism but not so much that any legal action followed. The difference is clear in the theory of what makes a joke funny:

 

Drawing the line between humour and offence

 

Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren argue in their research paper "Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behaviour Funny" that things are funny when three conditions are met:

 

- A situation involves a violation

- The situation remains benign

- Both perceptions occur simultaneously

 

For example, someone walking down the stairs is not a violation, so it's not funny. Someone tripping but remaining unhurt is both a violation and benign—making it funny. However, someone tripping and suffering a serious injury is a malign violation, which makes it unfunny.

 

According to the research paper, jokes that violate moral boundaries but remain harmless are perceived as funny. Interestingly, these moral boundaries vary across cultures.

 

The perception of a "benign violation" depends on the audience. A joke must be just "violating" enough to be funny—but if it crosses a certain threshold, it becomes a malign violation and is no longer humorous. As American humorist Erma Bombeck said, "There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humour and hurt."

 

In India's context, the country's diverse cultural landscape means that jokes acceptable in one context may be offensive in another. Legal actions against comedians, such as arrests for alleged offensive remarks, highlight the potential consequences of crossing perceived boundaries. 

 

Is Western roast culture influencing India?

 

Since YouTube became popular, it gave an independent platform for stand-up comedians to showcase their art. Their content started going viral, and thus their dependence on traditional platforms such as television reduced.

 

Roast comedy in the Indian stand-up circuit started with audience interactions, aka ‘crowd work,’ where the comedian would ask questions to individuals in the audience and then crack a joke about it. The format is popular with Western comedians. Although the format has given Indian comedians popularity, they are treading carefully, as the audience still needs time to evolve for this style of comedy to gain acceptance, but some boundaries remain too sensitive to cross.

 

Comedian Cyrus Broacha, commenting on the India’s Got Latent incident, emphasised the subjective nature of morality and humour. "In India, two words have been overused—'Parampara' and 'Sanskriti.' Your tradition, my tradition, and your morality, my morality, can be different," he said. This perspective highlights the challenges comedians face in a diverse society where interpretations of humour can vary widely.