India's Got Latent is an IndianHindi languagetalent show hosted by Samay Raina on YouTube that provides a platform for contestants from across the country to showcase their hidden talents.[1] The show, inspired by the international Got Talent franchise and Kill Tony, features a wide variety of acts, including singing, dancing, magic, comedy and others.[2]
History
India's Got Latent was launched on 14 June 2024 by Samay Raina on his YouTube channel.[3][4]
Format
The format of India's Got Latent follows a similar structure to other shows in the Got Talent franchise and that of Kill Tony. Contestants perform for in front of a panel of judges, who evaluate their acts.[5]
Auditions
The show begins with a nationwide audition process, where contestants from various cities and towns.
Winner mechanism
The unique aspect of India's Got Latent is its contestant rating system. Before each performance, contestants rate themselves. If the average rating given by the judge panel after the performance matches the contestant's self-rating, the contestant wins.[6]
Judges and hosts
The judging panel typically consists of celebrities from the Indian entertainment industry. Each judge provides feedback on the performances, while the host interacts with contestants and the audience.[7]
India's Got Latent has gained popularity for its diversity in showcasing talent from different regions of India. The show has been praised for its ability to discover unique talents that might not have been recognized in mainstream entertainment and also the amalgamation of various celebrities as judges which has proved to induce laughter and popularity.[24]
Latent was included in DNA's list of the top 5 crazy shows on YouTube in 2024.[25]
YouTube earnings
Latent is estimated to earn over Rs. 1.5 crore per month from YouTube memberships, with additional revenue generated from in-stream advertisements on each episode.[26]
Controversies
Sawant vs Singh
Rakhi Sawant threw a chair on stage after getting into an argument with Maheep Singh on India's Got Latent. Sawant also made a derogatory remark about Singh, after which he left the stage. The episode hasn't been released on YouTube. [27]
Derogatory remarks against people with disabilities
During Santosh Patra’s performance in Season 1, Episode 6, the judges endorsed derogatory remarks about disabled people.[28][29][30]
Banti Banerjee
Banti Banerjee was a contestant on Latent's Season 1, Episode 10. During her performance, she made several controversial remarks that were initially endorsed by the judges and audience but later sparked an online debate and outrage.
"Deepika Padukone also became a mother recently, right? Great. Now she knows what depression really looks like. Actual depression happens when your sleep breaks, and your kid wakes in the middle of the night at 3 am and the kid wants to eat, poop, or play, at any order." - Banerjee said in a viral clip.[32]
She also said she was intentionally mocking the actor’s depression due to her breakup.[33] Latent's host Samay Raina also responded to outrage, by saying:
"To everyone who is outraging on Twitter, one request: Could you please outrage in my YouTube comment section so I get some ad revenue from the traction, at least." - Raina wrote on Instagram.[34]
During one of the performances on India's Got Latent, some of the contestants endorsed derogatory remarks on guest judge Urfi Javed, which included calling her a 'b*tch', comparing her with adult actress Mia Khalifa and publicly exploiting her by asking her 'body count', after having a verbal altercation with her over him faking a disability, which eventually led to her walking off the show. The show's main judge Samay Raina didn't intervene and Balraj Ghai was called in to replace her for the last two performances.[37]
