Samay RainaFrom infopedia the free encyclopedia

Stand-up beginnings and Comicstaan (2017–2019)

After opening for other comedians in Pune he moved to Mumbai. In 2019 he was declared joint winner of Comicstaan Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video, sharing the title with Aakash Gupta. His dark, deadpan style and roast-style crowd work built a large online following.

Chess streaming (2020 – present)

• Began streaming chess on YouTube during the 2020 lockdown, when live shows stopped.
• His streams have featured Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Vidit Gujrathi and Garry Kasparov.
• Organised the Comedians on Board tournaments and co-organised the Chess Super League with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming.
• Won the Botez Bullet Invitational (May 2021) and, as reported, the SuperPogChamps event (December 2025), donating that prize to charity.

Shows and India's Got Latent (2021–2025)

• Netflix's Comedy Premium League (2021) and Prime Video's One Mic Stand (2021).
• India's Got Latent (launched June 2024): a talent show in which contestants perform and are roasted by a panel of comedians and guests. It became hugely popular on YouTube, and a dedicated app followed.
• Appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati (2025) with Tanmay Bhat.

Comeback (2025 – present)

• Still Alive & Unfiltered tour across India, 15 August – 5 October 2025.
• YouTube special Still Alive, released 7 March 2026.
• Performed at Madison Square Garden, New York, in 2026.
• India's Got Latent Season 2 (2026), with guests such as Alia Bhatt, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Archana Puran Singh.
• Guest on The Great Indian Kapil Show (2026).
• In August 2026 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated him for his work on a state cyber-awareness short film and anthem.

Legal matters (2025–2026)

February 2025 episode: Remarks made by a guest panellist, YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, in an episode of India's Got Latent drew widespread criticism. Police in Assam and Maharashtra registered cases against several people linked to the episode, including Raina, and the episode was removed. On 12 February 2025 Raina deleted all India's Got Latent videos from his channel, said the situation was "too much for me to handle", and stated he would fully cooperate with the agencies so that their inquiries could be concluded fairly. No court has found him guilty in these matters, as per available reports.

Disability-remarks case: Separately, the Cure SMA India Foundation petitioned the Supreme Court over jokes on the show about persons with disabilities. The Court directed Raina and four other comedians to hold fundraising and awareness events for persons with disabilities, and in July 2026 imposed costs of ₹3 lakh each over compliance. On 14 August 2026 a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant quashed the criminal proceedings against them, finding meaningful compliance; reports said the shows raised about ₹12.5 crore and included a chess tournament for persons with disabilities. The Court continues to hear the wider issue of safeguards for online content.