Samay Raina says his heart 'SANK like anything' after Assam CM Himanta's complain: 'Felt like PYSCHOSIS'

Samay Raina rose to prominence by mastering the internet’s attention economy, blending comedy with viral formats that consistently pulled in massive viewership. That momentum hit a wall during the India’s Got Latent controversy, which erupted after a comment by Ranveer Allahbadia drew sharp backlash. What might have otherwise remained an online debate quickly escalated into a national issue, attracting legal action, political involvement, and sustained media focus. After stepping away from the spotlight, Samay has now returned with his stand up special Still Alive, where he revisits that turbulent period and the personal fallout that followed.

“I sometimes wonder if I should’ve edited that video. I had such a great life going on till January 2025. Every YouTube video of mine had 5 to 6 crore views. Every reel, every podcast is talking about me. I’m in all their thumbnails. Every celebrity wants to meet me. All other comedians are jealous of me. They were struggling to make similar content. It was so much fun. I was king, man,” recalled Samay.

At the time, he was riding a massive wave of popularity and used that momentum to launch his most ambitious international tour, with shows across the United States drawing huge crowds and selling out rapidly. While travelling, he worked on the episode featuring Ranveer Allahbadia, convinced that once it was uploaded, he could focus entirely on his performances without distraction. For a brief period after release, there was little indication of what was to come. But within a day, criticism began to surface and steadily snowballed into something much larger.

By the time he began performing overseas, the controversy had started gaining traction back home. Initially, he dismissed it as a passing cycle of outrage, but it soon expanded into primetime television debates and refused to fade from the news for weeks. Behind the scenes, there were serious concerns about whether he would be forced to return to India, a move that would have meant cancelling his biggest tour and absorbing heavy financial losses. “If the bring-back-Samay-Raina narrative fuelled up and they brought me back to India, then I’d have to cancel my life’s biggest US tour. My team calculated that in the worst-case scenario that I’d have to go back to India, how much loss I’d have to bear. Rs 8 crore! I swear to God, I had Rs 8 crore as my life savings then. I had to build a house, but now all of that would go to shit,” said Samay.

I sometimes wonder if I should’ve edited that video. I had such a great life going on till January 2025. Every YouTube video of mine had 5 to 6 crore views. Every reel, every podcast is talking about me. I’m in all their thumbnails. Every celebrity wants to meet me. All other comedians are jealous of me. They were struggling to make similar content. It was so much fun. I was king, man

- Samay Raina

If the bring-back-Samay-Raina narrative fuelled up and they brought me back to India, then I’d have to cancel my life’s biggest US tour. My team calculated that in the worst-case scenario that I’d have to go back to India, how much loss I’d have to bear. Rs 8 crore! I swear to God, I had Rs 8 crore as my life savings then. I had to build a house, but now all of that would go to shit

- Samay Raina

The stress of the situation soon began affecting him physically. He described experiencing intense anxiety episodes, with symptoms like trembling, sweating, a racing heartbeat, and difficulty breathing just before going on stage. Despite being advised by his therapist to avoid performing in that state, he chose to go ahead with his shows. After one such performance, he checked his phone and found himself overwhelmed. “My phone was heating up because I was getting so many calls and messages from random people. I realised my number had gotten leaked. I was getting abuses and death threats with my parents’ photos. It escalated like anything that evening. My last Instagram post had 20,000 comments,” recalled Samay.

My phone was heating up because I was getting so many calls and messages from random people. I realised my number had gotten leaked. I was getting abuses and death threats with my parents’ photos. It escalated like anything that evening. My last Instagram post had 20,000 comments

- Samay Raina

Trying to create some distance from the chaos, he briefly stayed away from his phone. During that time, he was informed that multiple FIRs had been filed against him in different parts of the country, including one linked to Himanta Biswa Sharma. The involvement of political authorities made the situation feel far more serious and immediate. “When I saw that the Assam CM has filed an FIR, my heart sank like anything. I got so scared I couldn’t believe the CM, politicians, and media are against me. Half of my fans turned on me, were making memes. I swear to God I felt like it was a dream, it wasn’t real. I’m touching things around me to see if they’re real. It’s the worst state to be. It’s called psychosis. Some people are unable to get out of this state. I got so scared,” confessed Samay.

When I saw that the Assam CM has filed an FIR, my heart sank like anything. I got so scared I couldn’t believe the CM, politicians, and media are against me. Half of my fans turned on me, were making memes. I swear to God I felt like it was a dream, it wasn’t real. I’m touching things around me to see if they’re real. It’s the worst state to be. It’s called psychosis. Some people are unable to get out of this state. I got so scared

- Samay Raina

The creator also roasted Amitabh Bachchan as he recalled his stint on the Kaun Banega Crorepati. He also stated that he 'held back' a lot of jokes. Roasting Sr.Bachchan, Samay says, ''Sir, aapne itna polio ka ad kiya, phir bhi apne bete ko paon pe kyu nahi khada kar paye sir.''

Samay also opened up on Ranveer Allahbadia's jokes and stated that he had chopped off a plenty of jokes from the final edit and had kept only one joke. ''Main tumhe maa ki kasam sach batata hoon. Uss episode main Beer Biceps ne voh sawal 8 baar poocha tha. Aur iske alawa bhi kayi ant shant sawaal poochhe the usne. Toh ab jab maine edit dekha na, maine kaha, ‘Yeh toh bohot gandi baatein kari hain isne,'' said the comedian.

Main tumhe maa ki kasam sach batata hoon. Uss episode main Beer Biceps ne voh sawal 8 baar poocha tha. Aur iske alawa bhi kayi ant shant sawaal poochhe the usne. Toh ab jab maine edit dekha na, maine kaha, ‘Yeh toh bohot gandi baatein kari hain isne

- Samay Raina

The comedian also announced the second season of his controversial 'India's Got Latent' and said, ''Show toh main wapas launga bhai kyunki bahut mazza aata tha bhai woh show kar ne mein.''

In the aftermath, he returned to India to face legal proceedings, including being summoned to the Supreme Court. He also chose to take down all episodes of India’s Got Latent from his channel. Through Still Alive, he revisits this chapter not just as a controversy, but as a deeply personal experience that reshaped both his career and his understanding of public life.