The latest episode of Samay Raina's India's Got Latent 2 dropped last week, and this time, the judging panel was no less than a banger. The panel featured actor Archana Puran Singh and Orry, aka Orhan Awatramani. Sharon, who was once a contestant on the show, returned this time as a judge, while the last judge on the panel was Nishant Suri.
India's Got Latent episode crosses 53.9 million views
Several videos and clips from the episode have gone viral. The show has clocked 53.9 million views. However, Samay isn't happy with this. He slammed the new YouTube update and asserted that views are no longer an overall measure of watch time but are now being considered more like a simple glance. Taking to his Instagram story, Samay Raina said that YouTube's view-counting system is meaningful for content creators.
Citing the example of his latest IGL episode, he noticed that the episode had recorded more views than some earlier episodes but had received fewer likes, prompting him to question how YouTube is currently counting views.
According to Samay Raina, YouTube has changed its system so that a view can now be registered almost immediately after a video starts playing. He compared the move with the way video views are counted on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
Samay Raina argued that the earlier system gave creators a better indication of genuine audience interest because viewers had to spend some time watching a video before it contributed to the view count. Under the revised system, he claimed, even a viewer who clicks on a video and leaves almost immediately could contribute to its public view total.
The comedian strongly criticised the change and questioned its impact on creators who use views, likes, watch time and audience retention to understand how their content is performing.
Samay Raina also referred to the numbers from his comedy special Still Alive while making his point. He suggested that if views can be generated through very brief interactions, creators may find it more difficult to compare the performance of their videos and understand whether audiences are actually engaging with their content.
The change could lead to higher publicly displayed view counts, while deeper metrics such as watch time and audience retention may become more important for creators trying to assess genuine engagement. Reports on YouTube's update also indicate that the change does not alter how creators are monetised.
Samay Raina's comments have since drawn attention online, particularly among creators who closely track YouTube analytics to measure the performance of their videos.
Comedian Samay Raina abused YouTube over the video-streaming platform's new method of counting users' views. He called it the "s****t update ever", saying, "What the f*k, YouTube? I didn't expect this from you."
"I'm very disappointed with this update... It means s**t," Samay said. Under the new algorithm, a view is counted as soon as a video starts playing.
During the episode, Samay took a sly dig at Archana's vlogging and also took multiple digs at Orry's Hindi and sexual orientation. However, it wasn't just Orry; even Archana Puran Singh clapped back at Samay for his roasts.
Let's take a look at the highlights of the episode.
In the episode, a contestant named AR Tiwari performed Bhojpuri shayari. After his performance, Samay asked him what the first two letters of his name stood for, to which he replied, "All-rounder". When asked what else he does apart from shayari, he replied, "Dance, vlog, rap."
Samay responded, "Did you say vlog? Vlogging doesn't need talent," taking a subtle dig at Archana, who regularly shares family vlogs. Archana was quick to respond, saying, "Gaaliyan dena talent hai (abusing is talent)." Samay had no immediate comeback but later continued to poke fun at Archana's signature laugh.
Samay also roasted Archana's sons during the episode. While introducing Archana, he revealed that he had been a fan of hers since watching her play Miss Braganza in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He then brought up her vlogs, saying, "I have seen your vlogs; neither does your husband work, nor do your 'nalle sons'. In her house, reverse patriarchy is happening. Only women are working."
Archana's sons were seated in the front row and laughed at the joke. Archana then told them, "I warned you not to sit in the front row. This is not how you get fame; this is how you get insulted."
During the show, Orry joked that he had come from London to shoot the episode and, for the first time, was on a panel where, apart from himself, he did not know anyone else.
Samay then joked with Orry, saying, "Iski toh g****d marunga main aaj." Later, the comedian reminded Orry that he had once said in an interview that he wanted to become a household name, which he eventually did.
Samay added, "That just goes to show that where there's a will there's a gay."
Orry was unimpressed by the joke and warned Samay.
Samay replied, "Kahan daalega Vantara mein?" (Will you put me in Vantara?) To this, Orry said, "Bandaron ko wahan hi daalte hain." (We keep monkeys there.)
He added that Samay would "live a better life there" and would not have to do "all this nonsense".
Samay also asked Orry to explain his signature pose, in which he places his hand on a person's chest while posing for photographs. Orry replied, "People think when I put my hand on their body, they feel younger."
Sharon Verma steals the show
Sharon Verma, who appeared as one of the contestants in India's Got Latent Season 1, returned as a judge in the latest episode of Season 2. Her humour and comebacks impressed several viewers.
One netizen tweeted, "Sharon Verma's humour is on another level. First, she absolutely cooked Samay Raina. Then, she roasted Orry. The confidence, the timing, the punchlines... absolutely top-tier (sic)."
Another X user wrote, "Sharon Verma saved Bihar from Samay Raina's joke. Samay Raina tried to troll Sharon Verma by saying that she was just like all those Biharis who come to Mumbai looking for jobs and employment. But Sharon Verma hit back with a brutal response. She said, 'At least I left my state, Bihar, by choice. You ran away from Kashmir and came here.' THAT WAS VERY BRUTAL."
Rakhi Sawant to feature in next episode
The latest episode ended with a promo for the next episode, which will feature none other than Rakhi Sawant.
In the promo, Samay says that during the initial few episodes, he tried to play it safe, but people complained, "Woh baat nahi rahi." He then introduces Rakhi.
Fans of Rakhi Sawant are now eagerly waiting to see what unfolds when she appears on India's Got Latent Season 2.
