Mukesh Khanna has responded to the criticism surrounding his recent advertisement with comedian Samay Raina. The actor's collaboration with Samay drew attention, given his earlier opposition to India's Got Latent, the comedian's show. Mukesh Khanna clarified that appearing in the ad does not mean he has changed his views on the show.
Speaking on Subhojit Ghosh's podcast, Mukesh Khanna explained that the project was simply a mobile phone advertisement and not a collaboration with Samay Raina or India's Got Latent. The actor revealed that the brand took nearly 10 days to persuade him to come on board for the ad.
Responding to those who accused him of going back on his stance against India's Got Latent, Mukesh Khanna dismissed the criticism and questioned when he had ever praised Samay or indicated that he supported his show. “Mere log nahi bolenge ki mein bik gaya. Agar mujhe kharidte toh mein bhi gaali-galaoch karta na? Where did I bow down to say he is nice? He was trying... he is very smart. Shaktimaan nahi bik sakta hai, mein uske show mein nahi gaya," he said.
The actor added that he had also criticised the Supreme Court over the decision concerning FIRs related to Samay.
Mukesh Khanna also described Samay Raina as an “enterprising” person. "I found him a very sweet person, cracking jokes. He told me 10 jokes, very very positive," he said. The actor suggested that Samay's approach could evolve if negative content no longer proves financially rewarding.
India's Got Latent Season 2 officially premiered on Netflix and YouTube on June 20. The comeback follows a tumultuous period in February 2025, when Samay took down all original episodes of Season 1 and faced legal scrutiny over controversial remarks made on the show by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia.
