Samay Raina, a standup comedian known for transforming chess into an entertaining spectacle, has returned with a new quirky show, India's Got Latent, which is a parody of the TV show India's Got Talent.
The show’s voice-over introduces it as a “pointless reality show,” humorously hinting that its viewership might serve as a measure of unemployment. Although the unconventional intro may surprise viewers, it is a hallmark of Samay Raina's signature style.
Raina has released eight episodes on his YouTube channel, each amassing over 13 million views, with some of the episodes available exclusively for members who have taken his YouTube subscription, which costs Rs 59 per month. Raina has till now hosted guests such as Siddhant Chaturvedi, Badshah, Poonam Pandey, Rakhi Sawant, Vipul Goyal, and other content creators and comedians on the show.
India’s Got Latent is inspired by Kill Tony (a show hosted by American comedian Tony Hinchcliffe), but the show has a unique scoring format: contestants showcase their talents before a panel of judges and rate their performance out of 10. If their self-rating matches the judges’ average score, they win the entire ticket revenue from that episode.
Given the show’s immense popularity and episodes consistently trending at number 1 on YouTube in just a few hours of release, brands are capitalising on the buzz by sponsoring the show. However, Raina, who is renowned for his edgy and dark humour, occasionally uses strong language, which may cause some brands to hesitate.
Nevertheless, two brands, POP UPI and Spinny, have sponsored episodes that have been released so far.
POP, a fintech startup offering a UPI app and credit card, sponsored episode six of the show and awarded the winner a prize of Rs 1 lakh.
Spinny, a used-car retail platform, also partnered with episode seven of the show in a more unconventional approach. Raina, renowned for his misdirection humour, introduced the brand during the episode by calling it 'Swiggy' instead of Spinny.
The comedian embraced the humour by announcing Spinny will give a free "brand new second-hand car" as a prize to the winner of the show, which led to more laughs onstage.
Raina read out the entire brand brief in a mockingly irreverent tone, refusing to wear a Spinny-branded T-shirt.
While these antics might deter some brands, Spinny leaned into the show’s unconventional style and continued their sponsorship.
Talking about the collaboration, Aniket Dhawan, head of social media, Spinny, says that there’s an evolution of brands today that they are comfortable enough to take a joke. “For us, it was less about being ‘bold’ or ‘brave’ and more about staying authentic and creating a genuine entertainment piece. We wanted to give them the freedom to do their show organically.”
Arshdeep Chhabra, general manager of marketing at Spinny, states that the intention was never to control the narrative but to remain true to the platform. “If we tried to over-manage, then it often comes across as forced. By keeping it natural, people talk about it organically.”
He adds that the tangible impact was that some customers, while taking delivery of their cars, posted, "Here’s my brand new second-hand car," echoing the humour of the show. “It’s amusing and surreal, almost like a moment out of a comedy sketch. That’s the kind of engagement you can’t manufacture," he highlights.
It’s not just the show that has attracted brand partnerships; even the judge and contestants have caught the attention of brands, who are making full use of the opportunity.
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boAt x Maheep Singh
The audiowear brand has partnered with stand-up comedian Maheep Singh, using his popular catchphrase, "Likho 98," from the show. The phrase, which he humorously directed at a female contestant, has since gained popularity.
2. Naman Arora x Swiggy x Sleepyhead
Naman Arora, an actor who has worked in films like Jugjugg Jeeyo and Mr & Mrs Mahi, rose to fame through his performance on India’s Got Latent; he currently has around 4.5 lakh followers on Instagram. The food aggregator platform collaborated with him for a social media campaign showcasing his rhyming style.
The actor has also collaborated with Sleephead, highlighting its mattresses.
3. Keshav Jha x Blinkit x Kicksclub
Keshav Jha, a poet known for his line "Aee Murkh Apni Chavi Sudhar" from the show India’s Got Latent, has seen his dialogue adapted by brands like Blinkit and Kicksclub. They incorporated his catchphrase alongside their offerings to make their messaging more relatable.
4. Sharon Verma x OneCard
Sharon Verma, a stand-up comedian who went viral online for describing herself as a “weak independent woman,” incorporated jokes about her hometown in Bihar on India’s Got Latent. She recently partnered with credit card company OneCard for a collaboration. In this instance, a brand leveraged her dialogue to promote its product effectively.
These are some of the examples; some of the other performers have also enjoyed massive followings on Instagram.
It appears that modern brands are exploring newer formats that are more organic and engaging. Zomato hosted a roast show to commemorate its 16th anniversary, inviting standup comedians to parody the brand.
The momentum surrounding these content pieces signals a shift in how brands engage with audiences, embracing humour and unconventional collaborations to build authentic connections. New-age brands are experimenting with formats that prioritise relatability over conventional advertising.
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