Comedian Munawar Faruqui has spoken out about the trolling faced by Pranit More following the viral Rs 370 biryani controversy. He urged people to stop targeting those involved and appealed to social media users to move on from the matter.
Background of the Controversy
For the uninitiated, the controversy started after a video from Pranit More's recent stand-up show went viral and sparked widespread criticism online. In the clip, 23-year-old Himanshu Jangra said that he had spent Rs 370 on a plate of chicken biryani during a date and therefore expected a “return” on that expense.
His comment drew strong reactions on social media and netizens slammed both Pranit and Himanshu. After the severe backlash, both Himanshu and Pranit apologised by issuing a video and also deactivated their social media accounts for some time.
Munawar's Appeal for Restraint
Munawar has now urged social media users to stop dragging the controversy further. Sharing a video on his Instagram Story, the comedian admitted that certain remarks made during the incident were inappropriate but pointed out that those involved had already faced enough consequences.
Munawar said, "Mujhe lagta hai ab hum sabko tham jana chahiye. Comedian ne bahut galat baat boli, crowd work mein bhi bahut galat baat hui. Uss ladki ne bhi jo bola, main usse disagree karta hoon. Unhone jo bola, mujhe sunna pasand nahi hai, lekin ek level hota hai" (I think all of us need to stop now. The comedian said something very wrong, and what happened during the crowd-work segment was also deeply problematic. I also disagree with what that woman said. I did not like hearing any of it, but there has to be a limit).
Consequences Already Suffered
Munawar further stated that the people involved had already dealt with the consequences of the controversy.
"FIR ho gayi, job chali gayi, career khatam ho gaya, samaj mein izzat chali gayi, sab ho gaya. Unke saath unki baaton ke liye bahut bura hua hai, lekin ab tham jao. Content ke naam par jo unhe nichoda ja raha hai, bas karo bhai" (An FIR has been filed, jobs have been lost, careers have been damaged, and their reputation in society has been ruined; all of that has already happened. They have faced serious consequences for what they said, but now it is time to stop. The way people are continuing to squeeze every bit of content out of this situation needs to end), he added.
Call for Responsible Social Media Use
The Bigg Boss 16 winner urged social media users to be more responsible online and consider the personal impact of constant criticism.
He ended the note saying, "Unn logon ne jo baat boli, uska zakhm unhe mil gaya. Jab kisi ki laash niklegi na, tab tumhe samajh aayega. Bas karo ab. Har cheez ki ek limit hoti hai. Legally unpar jo hona hoga, ho jayega, par tum ab chup ho jao" (They have already suffered enough for what they have said. By the time someone loses their life, people will finally realise they went too far. Enough now. Everything has a limit. Whatever legal consequences they are supposed to face will happen, but the public outrage and relentless piling on should stop).
Repercussions Faced
Himanshu has already faced serious repercussions as he lost his job after the controversy. He worked at Starvik Design and the company's founder, Vivek Vishwakarma, announced the decision by sharing a video on social media. That's not all, the Maharashtra Cyber Police registered a case against Pranit More. The National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Pranit and Himanshu in connection with the controversial comments.
