India’s Got Latent Contestant Mocks Deepika Padukone’s Depression, netizens React, 'Lengths Some people Go To For Male Validation'
Samay Raina’s popular YouTube talent show, India’s Got Latent, has sparked outrage on social media after a recent episode featured a controversial joke about Deepika Padukone’s battle with depression.
The show, created by comedian Samay Raina, often showcases a mix of comics and creators on its judging panel. In the latest episode, Raina was joined by Tanmay Bhat, raghu Ram, neurologist Dr. Sid Warrier, and Balraj Singh Ghai. However, a clip from the episode featuring contestant Bunty Banerjee has triggered widespread criticism.
What the contestant said about Deepika Padukone's depression
During the episode, Bunty Banerjee referenced the recent birth of deepika padukone and Ranveer Singh's daughter, Dua. In the clip, she remarked, “Deepika Padukone also became a mother recently, right? Great, now she knows what depression looks like.” The panel, including Raina and Bhat, appeared taken aback at first but soon burst into laughter, with Samay even applauding the joke.
Banerjee then continued, adding, “I am not trying to insult breakup-wala depression,” before pausing and concluding, “I am.”
Netizens react
The segment quickly made its way to Reddit, where users criticized both the joke and the panel’s reaction. Many felt the humor trivialized mental health and disrespected Deepika’s openness about her struggles with depression.
One user commented, “This! Pick me of the highest order.” Another noted, “Making fun of someone’s clinical depression is disgusting, but it’s even worse coming from a woman, all in the name of comedy. The lengths some people go to for male validation are truly pathetic. And what does she mean by 'now she knows what real depression looks like now that she’s a mother'? Does she think postpartum depression is a joke?!”
Another user wrote, “I get that it’s supposed to be a “joke”. But we live in a country where mental health is still a huge taboo and a large section of people don’t take it seriously. These kinds of jokes just make things worse and a step back for all those people working hard to bring awareness. Sorry, but I don’t think we’re ready for such tasteless jokes.”
One comment read, “People are finding it unfunny because it trivializes a common mental health condition… It is punching down, unintelligently.”
The judging panel wasn’t spared from criticism either. One user wrote, “Even the judges are literally like ‘omg mental health pe joke maar diya denk hehe haha hassi ke favvare.’ Sometimes their takes are so brain-dead—what are you doing in the name of comedy?”
Deepika Padukone’s advocacy for mental health
Deepika Padukone has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness in India. In 2015, she founded The Live love Laugh Foundation to promote mental health education and support. The following year, she launched the More Than Just Sad campaign, aimed at helping general physicians treat patients with anxiety and depression effectively.
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