Samay Raina returns with new comedy special ‘Still Alive’ after controversy

Comedian Samay Raina is set to release his new comedy special Still Alive on YouTube, marking his return after last year’s controversy. The special reflects his personal journey, blending raw humour with experiences from backlash, legal issues and a global tour

Mumbai: Comedian Samay Raina is back with the comedy special ‘Still Alive’. The trailer of the special was unveiled on Sunday.

The special captures the comedian’s journey in its most raw and unfiltered form. It is not a set about someone who survived a scandal. It is a set about someone, who chose to be exactly who he is, honest, sharp, dark when it needs to be, and genuinely funny.

---

The special comes a year after the controversy that unfolded on the sets of his show ‘India’s Got Latent’, which invited backlash and legal trouble for the comedian. The controversy erupted after a remark made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia. The episode went viral, triggering a cascade of FIRs across multiple states, summons from the National Commission for Women, an inquiry by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, and intervention that reached the Supreme Court of India. Samay Raina took down every episode from YouTube, and co-operated with authorities including a six-hour interrogation session at the Maharashtra Cyber Cell in Navi Mumbai.

Then, in August 2025, he returned to the Stage with the Still Alive & Unfiltered India tour commenced in Bengaluru and Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, Talkatora Stadium. The tour then went global Europe, Australia, and a North American run that culminated in him becoming one of the youngest Indian comedians to perform at Madison Square Garden.

The special is touted as Samay Raina’s most personal performance to date blending observational comedy with the kind of unflinching self-awareness that only comes from having had nowhere left to hide. The boy from Jammu, the Kashmiri Pandit who stumbled into open mics, who went viral teaching India to love chess during a pandemic had arrived at the biggest stage in the world.

The comedy special is set to premiere on YouTube on April 8, 2026.