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Latent and Mess-i: 2025, when almost everything became an issue in India
The year 2025 unfolded as a near-constant churn of outrage, spectacle and fatigue, with one controversy bleeding into the next and leaving little room for pause. Even comedy was not immune, increasingly drawn into the culture wars and online pile-ons that came to define the public mood.
To say that the year 2025 was one with many ups and downs would be an understatement to describe the 12 months that passed in a blink for many and were a drag for several, with some or the other event forcing people to ask “what more now” at regular intervals. In a year marked by outrage and what some might say were overreactions, even laughter wasn't spared, turning comedy itself into a battleground.
Like the world, the year was eventful in India and full of controversies – that refused to settle down, stretched for days as well as led to political slugfests - like the row over India's Got Latent YouTube show, the debate around need for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the mess that part of football icon Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T India tour was. It's safe to say, 2025 qualified to be what internet would call a ‘kaleshi' year.
Several social media personalities, including Ranveer Allahbadia - who won the first ever National Creators Award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024 - and Apoorva Mukhija, sparked a massive controversy in February this year after a video of their exchange with a contestant on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent. The controversy was over content creator and podcaster Allahbadia's question on parents and sex to a contestant on the show.
The remarks led to multiple FIRs across states, National Commission for Women (NCW) issuing a summon and the matter reaching the Supreme Court. Apart from Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija aka ‘The Rebel Kid' and Samay Raina, the episode in question featured other content creators such as Ashish Chanchlani, and comedian Jaspreet Singh.
The India's Got Latent controversy forced the content creators to go off public eye for weeks and also pulled the show off YouTube. Creators Ranveer Allahbadia aka BeerBiceps, Apoorva Mukhija and Samay Raina returned made public appearances later through podcasts, social media posts, and stand-up shows, respectively.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls triggered one of the most consequential political debates of the year. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre defended the exercise as crucial to clean up the electoral rolls, opposition parties - led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi - voiced criticism alleging selective deletions and lack of transparency carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to benefit the BJP.
Linked to the SIR issue, Rahul Gandhi raised ‘vote chori' (theft) allegations against the ECI and the BJP. He claimed to furnish "evidence" through a series of explosive press conferences that happened on August 7, September 18 and on November 6.
In the last press conference, Rahul Gandhi claimed to show evidence of a Brazilian model appearing on the Haryana voter list 22 times via different names such as Seema and Sweety.
A post shared by Rahul Gandhi (@rahulgandhi)
After concluding what EC described as a ‘successful' SIR exercise in Bihar, where elections were also held this year, the eletoral roll revision is being carried out in 12 states and Union territories as part of the second phase.
Comedian Kunal Kamra sparked controversy in March this year with comments made during one of his comedy performance, in which he made a “traitor” remark on Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Following his remark, Shiv Sena workers vandalised a Mumbai studio where Kamra had recorded his show. The Habitat comedy club, which was affected by the attack, then announced a temporary closure.
The Mumbai Police later arrested Shiv Sena functionary Rahool Kanal and 11 accomplices for vandalising the premises. A local court, however, granted them bail the same day.
A series of political and social flashpoints in 2025 centred on the use of Marathi language in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and its surrounding urban areas, broke out earlier this year, peaking in July. Incidents of non-Marathi speakers getting thrashed by people belonging to political outfits, particularly the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were reported.
Among the incidents of violence linked to the Marathi row that hit headlines was MNS activists thrashing a sweet shop owner in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for not speaking Marathi in July.
In the same month, MNS workers damaged the glass door of Mumbai-based share market investor Sushil Kedia's office in Worli after he declared he would not speak Marathi and dared the party chief Raj Thackeray.
The Marathi language row also reached the Supreme Court, with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) being filed against MNS for allegedly inciting violence.
Football icon Lionel Messi visited India on a three-day trip as part of his G.O.A.T tour and made appearances in West Bengal's Kolkata, Telangana's Hyderabad, Maharashtra's Mumbai as well as Delhi. His tour began with the first pit stop at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where things got chaotic when fans - who paid thousands for tickets to see the footballer - could not see Messi as he was surrounded by ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and other VIPs.
The chaos at the event forced the Argentina captain and World Cup winner to leave the venue within 20 minutes of his arrival.
Angry fans broke barricades, stormed the pitch, and vandalised tents at the Salt Lake Stadium after footballer Messi, who is on a three-day tour of the country, abruptly left the arena amid the overwhelming scenes that were attributed to fans - who bought tickets for thousands to see the sportsman - not getting a clear view of the 38-year old. Courtesy: the encircling by “politicians”.
Messi's other two days in India were relatively smoother, however, complains of fans regarding the footballer being easily accessible to VIPs than to the public that paid for tickets to see him saw no end. Messi concluded his tour with an appearance at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, post which he was hosted by Anant Ambani - youngest son of billionaire and Reliance Industries Limited Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani - at Vantara in Gujarat's Jamnagar.
The chaos at the Kolkata Salt Lake Stadium led to the arrest of the event organiser - Satadru Datta, resignation of West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas, the matter reaching the Calcutta High Court and petitions seeking petitions court's intervention to transfer the probe into the violence to central agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
Source: HindustanTimes
Related Posts: 2025 controversies,messi india tour,lionel messi,messi goat india tour,messi goat india,messi goat india tour kolkata salt lake
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