Pranit More criticised by celebrities like Malti Chahar, Elvish Yadav, Sutapa Sikdar as 'Rs 370 biryani' controversy continues

Several celebrities have come forward and criticised comedian Pranit More for promoting the Rs 370 Biryani video online. Controversy erupted after a member in the audience during More’s show spoke about his recent date and how he spent Rs 370 on biryani and wanted physical intimacy in return from the girl. The man also gave graphic details about him getting intimate with the woman, even as the crowd cheered on and More laughed, called it ‘Peak Gurgaon content’. Now several celebrities, including Elvish Yadav, Rashami Desai, Sutapa Sikdar and Malti Chahar have called him out along with other users on social media.

More issued an apology and later even deactivated the account but the controversy continues to rage on.

Celebrities slam Pranit More

Several celebrities have now come out and expressed anger over the episode. Sutapa Sikdar, wife of actor, the late Irrfan Khan, also expressed anger. She shared a post highlighting rape statistics in India and wrote, “Sorry?? After enjoying like a joker to get more laughter from more perverts in the audience? We don't accept your apology — if we do nothing will change!” [#mysogy] [#mentalrapes] [#enough] [#stop] [#pranitmore]

YouTuber Elvish Yadav wrote, “₹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.)”

Actor Rashami Desai addressed the 23‑year‑old Himanshu Jagra, who made the derogatory comments on the show, and Pranit More for entertaining them.

She wrote, “Praful bhai, this is not comedy. It is an ordinary conversation and it has no content. They start communicating when they don't have content or creativity. Pranit is not an artist. He's also not a comedian.”

She added, “The fraternity will get trolled unnecessarily; this is really bad for genuine artists. And this boy has lost his job. Also, Pranit's shows should be stopped. #Shame on Pranit. Shame on Gurgaon boy.”

Indian actress, model and filmmaker Malti Chahar who was a co-contestant with Pranit in Bigg Boss 19, wrote, “₹370 biryani and Peddi… make you realise why many women are hesitant about marriage, why we value our independence, and why we choose to split the bill. Some women are even financially supporting men entirely. Yet we continue to be objectified, and a woman's consent is apparently worth no more than a plate of biryani. After generations of fighting for equality, dignity and respect, it's disheartening that we're still confronting the same underlying mindset. To all mothers and future mothers: please teach your sons to respect women and understand the importance of consent.”

What's the controversy?

In the now-deleted viral clip, Himanshu Jagra said that he took a girl out for a date and while they were out, he paid Rs 370 for the biryani. When she wanted to leave after the date, he felt cheated as he believed that he had earned the right to be physically intimate with her.

Pranit called it “peak Gurgaon content” as the audience laughed.

In another clip from the same show, the man gave some graphic details about their physical encounter as he took her to a “dark park”. The audience laughed along, and so did Pranit and he encouraged him to say more. At the end, Pranit reportedly rewarded the man with Rs 5000 for his storytelling.

As the clip went viral, influencers and social media users criticised both the nature of the comments and More's decision to share the interaction online, calling out the normalisation of such behaviour.

Pranit More apologises

Following the backlash on the internet, More issued an apology on his Instagram page. He said the comments made by the audience member did not reflect his views and admitted that it was a lapse of judgment to laugh along.

More wrote, "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 judgment on my part."

On Wednesday, as online chatter around the viral content gained more attention, More deactivated his Instagram account.