 "Ashneer Grover")
Entrepreneur and Shark Tank India sensation, Ashneer Grover, has once again found himself embroiled in controversy. This time, it stems from his request to comedian Aashish Solanki to take down a roast video featuring Grover. This came despite Grover’s initial agreement to appear as a guest on the roast-show.
Solanki, the host of the comedy series Pretty Good Roast, said that Grover insisted on his segment being edited out of the episode as he could not take those jokes.
In a video statement, Solanki said, “TV pe log talent dikhaane jaate hai, yeh aaukat dikha kar aagya [People appear on TV to show their talent and this guy showed his status]. Apni company se kaun nikala jata hai yaar [Who gets kicked out of one’s company]?”
As the video progresses, Solanki says, “Doston apna show banane ke bohot challenges hote hain mujhe abhi abhi pata chala. Aur pata yeh chala ki ye jo humne episode shoot kiya tha uske baad hame hamare guest ne bataya ki ye waale jokes wo bilkul nahi jhel paaye hai. Toh ab hume sadly unka poora part kaatna padega [There are several challenges in running a show and I realise it now. The guest refused to appear on the show as she couldn’t take the joke. So, we had to remove his portion from the video].”
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can’t take simple jokes on yourself?? @Ashneer_Grover pic.twitter.com/Cn7T2vAtrw
— Prish (@moreofprish) May 19, 2024
How social media reacted to it
Despite the removal of the video from YouTube, it circulated widely, garnering over 694,000 views and sparking backlash against Grover, the former managing director of BharatPe.
A commentator questioned Grover’s ability to handle criticism, noting the substantial investment made by others involved in the show. “Why did he even go there if he can’t handle it and has such a fragile ego? The other person spent a lot of money on the show, and it isn’t sponsored by anyone. The roasters gave their valuable time and effort to write jokes.”
Another commenter likened Grover to the “Rakhi Sawant of the startup world”, suggesting an excessive pursuit of attention. “Hope people stop giving that chapri @Ashneer_Grover this much attention. He’s the Rakhi Sawant of startup world.”
Reacting to the incident, another user emphasised the challenges faced by the show’s organisers, particularly in the absence of sponsorship, and criticised Grover’s abrupt withdrawal. “I’ve been seeing every episode of this show, with no sponsor it would be especially hard for him to organise the show – you can’t just pull out of a show just like this,” he said.
Solanki later issued a clarification on Instagram, stating, “Ep 5 of Pretty Good Roast Hata diya hai dosto. Legal Battle ladne ka paisa nahi hai. Sab show pe laga diya tha [The episode has been removed my friends. I don't have money to fight a legal battle as I used up all of it to create this show].”
“The response of previous episodes led us to believe our audiences were ready for roast humour. However, it seems that some, especially those in power, are not quite there yet. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Stay tuned for the next episode, coming soon! Love, Aashish,” he said.
In March 2022, BharatPe expelled Ashneer Grover as the managing director after being accused by the company’s board of extensive misappropriation of funds through his family members.
