Agnihotri stands by Samay Raina but advises him to be careful

Mumbai: Director Vivek Agnihotri, who is known for The Kashmir Files and The Vaccine War, has shared his opinion on the ongoing controversy surrounding comedian Samay Raina.

Thursday, Vivek took to his X, formerly Twitter, and shared a long tweet in which he advised the comedian to exercise his freedom of expression carefully.

He wrote, “Technology vs social morals: The Case of Samay Raina and the Digital Generation In the last two decades, technology has evolved at an unprecedented pace. But while technology is the product of the human mind, the human brain itself is not designed to adapt as quickly as its creation. This gap has created a moral and cultural conflict—an inability to distinguish between what is genuinely wrong and what is merely different. Samay Raina (@ReheSamay) is a product of this new digital era. Anyone with an analogue-wired mind struggles to understand him or his audience”.

He continued, “It’s not just about comedy, it’s about an entirely different way of thinking. Today’s parents don’t understand their digital-native kids. Teachers face the same disconnect. Employers too. The divide isn’t just generational, it’s existential. The analogue generation grew up in a world of physical experiences, insecurity, and social hierarchies, yet remained rooted in reality. The digital generation, by contrast, is secure in its virtual existence, detached from traditional social constructs, and unburdened by physical constraints”.

He further mentioned that this fundamental difference makes mutual understanding almost impossible. For centuries, politics, religion, and moral policing have thrived on controlling society. But this control is slipping away.

He shared, “The digital generation does not seek validation from traditional structures. Their sense of identity isn’t tied to caste, class, or societal expectations. That’s why politicians, religious institutions, and moral authorities have failed to dominate platforms like Instagram, an unprecedented failure in a country where politics has historically controlled everything. The outrage over vulgarity in comedy is selective and hypocritical. India has always had social space for irreverent humour, wedding songs, Holi celebrations, Tepa Sammelans, Gadha Sammelans, Nautanki, Parsi theatre, double-meaning Hindi film industry dialogues, and poetry gatherings (Kavi Sammelans and Mushairas) have all been filled with innuendos, satire, and social defiance”.

He shared that as political and religious forces tighten their grip, these art forms are dying. Comedians like Samay Raina are merely filling that void.

He went on, “The real question is: What happens if the digital generation turns the mirror around? What if they unite and expose the vulgarity, hate, and double standards of politicians, religious leaders, and legacy media? Will they be silenced too? I strongly believe comedy is a social issue; let society decide its morality. Politics and religion have no authority to interfere”.

“That’s why trolling on social media is acceptable but debating it in the parliament is a total waste of a country’s productivity. Just because you have the power to destroy young creators doesn’t mean you should wield it recklessly. A knife in hand does not justify murder. If we truly care about our society, we should nurture creative minds, not lynch them. A society built on #CreativeConsciousness is the only one that can thrive in modern times. Anything else is just resistance to the inevitable”, he added.

IANS