India has a long history of being “inspired” by the art forms of the west, be it cinema, music, or more. And seemingly, comedy is not exempt from this trend of blatantly lifting someone else’s working and passing it off as one’s own.
Samay Raina, who sprung to fame for his raunchy, no-holds barred form of humour, has found himself flush in the middle of a fresh controversy. Not that the man is any stranger to it. You might even say he has a latent for it.
In his long-awaited return, Raina took to stage and as usual spared no comers. But those that know their comedy and comedians spotted something off. Raina, in one of his bits, regaled audiences with a bit about an air hostess and how her sense of worry during turbulent barometer is a true barometer of the mood. If she’s worried, you should be very worried.
The problem is, Dave Chappelle had already done this bit, almost 10 years back.
Video courtesy: @TheBatmanSaidSo on X
You have to admire the gall; he didn’t go for any obscure, lesser-known comedian. He went straight for an absolute all-timer, someone who is no stranger to Indian audiences.
Samay Raina is a smart fellow, without a doubt. He has charm, and brings with him a certain vibe that is edgy and cool, which the younger audiences can’t seem to get enough of. The success of India’s got Latent is ample proof of this, although it took a monumental cock-up to derail it.
But in a culture where it is welcome and seen as absolutely alright to ape someone else’s material, almost note for note, does this “inspiration” come as any surprise? Not to this writer. India has for long had a creative bankruptcy, and happenings such as this are the mere manifestation of it.
Trends, jokes, songs, entire shows and movies have been copied from others. Some even celebrated their fame (or infamy) for doing so. You, dear reader, might be unfunny and not a comedian. But I am quite certain you have cracked a jibe or two about Anu Malik and Pritam copying music. This copy is an Anu-ism as well, just in a new context and setting. But from From stealing music to stealing jokes, we have come a long way.
Humour is a deeply individualistic thing. Originality should not be. Think, then, of Samay Raina as less of a funny man, and more of a showrunner, and he starts to make a lot more sense. But even then, one cannot make sense of the idea of looking at a joke made by a comic legend, and going “ok then, I’ll just retell that”, as if no one would notice.
