Stand-up comedian Pranit More on Saturday issued a second apology over the controversial "Rs 370 biryani" remark made during one of his shows, saying he failed to object to the comment in what he termed a "lapse in judgment".
More and Himanshu Jangra, a web developer, are at the centre of a controversy over remarks made during a comedy show in Gurugram that allegedly glorified coercion and non-consensual conduct towards a woman.
More, who is facing a police case for allegedly disseminating "obscene and objectionable" content, said he regretted giving a platform to Jangra during a crowd interaction segment.
In a video posted on his Instagram page, the comedian acknowledged his mistake and said he should have intervened.
"I am receiving a lot of hate, and I feel I probably deserve this. When I was doing crowd work with that person, he made derogatory remarks and everyone was laughing. I got carried away and it was lapse in judgment. I feel this was my biggest mistake. I could have stopped him, but I gave him a platform, which escalated the situation," More said.
More apologised to those hurt by the incident and said he is cooperating with authorities in the ongoing legal proceedings.
"I want to apologise to everyone who got hurt because of this. I'm also cooperating with the authorities. I request you all to give me one more chance. I will prove that I can become a better person. This was a learning for me and I'm working on myself and my content and you will see the change in my work in the future," he said.
The controversy began after Jangra recounted, during the show, a date when he spent Rs 370 on a plate of chicken biryani. When the woman asked him to drop her home, Jangra said he sought sexual favours for the money he spent on the biryani.
More was seen laughing at Jangra's comment. Later, both More and Jangra apologised for the incident after facing backlash on social media; the latter also deactivated his Instagram account. A Gurugram firm where Jangra worked also sacked him over his "Rs 370 biryani" remark.
Another clip from the same show featured undergraduate MBBS student Sejal Pawar, who allegedly made derogatory comments regarding medical cadavers and deceased male bodies used for educational purposes. While Pawar has apologised for the "crass" comments, the civic-run KEM Hospital in Mumbai has formed a two-member committee to probe the controversial remarks.
