Comedian Pranit More has issued a fresh apology, days after a controversial video of one of his crowdworks with obnoxious remarks from two audience members went viral.
In an Instagram video on Saturday, More shared that the incident was a learning experience for him and that he was committed to working on himself to become a better person.
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“Hello, I have wanted to talk about this for a long time. My Instagram was suspended. You all have seen my crowd work video where derogatory remarks were spoken. I am getting a lot of hate, which I believe I deserve,” he said.
He also admitted the lapse in judgment for not stopping the Gurugram man who made the controversial comments, causing outrage on national level over consent in dating.
“Because that man had said very derogatory things during my crowd work. But everyone was laughing, I also got carried away, and there was a lapse in judgment. This was my mistake. If I had wanted to, I could have stopped him, but I couldn't. I rather gave him the platform, due to which things escalated…,” he said.
He apologised and also stated that he was cooperating with the authorities in the legal proceedings against him since the controversy. More also sought a second chance in the clip, noting that he wanted to be a better person.
“I am working on myself and my content. You will be able to see this in my future work,” he said.
In less than an hour, his apology video has gotten over 1.4 lakh likes and thousands of comments as the audience remained divided over his role in the issue.
The controversy erupted after More faced backlash for laughing when a web developer, Himanshu Jangra, said that he spent Rs 370 on a plate of chicken biryani during a date, but received nothing in return from the woman.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday summoned More and Jangra, stating their comments and conduct appeared to glorify sexual coercion. As the video went viral, Jangra was terminated from his company.
Another clip from the same show featured MBBS student Sejal Pawar making derogatory remarks about male genitalia. After the audience flagged the remarks as highly disrespectful to the dignity of the dead, she later apologised. Mumbai's civic-run KEM Hospital has formed a two-member committee to probe the matter.
ALSO READ: 'Rs 370 Biryani' Row: Mumbai Police Responds To Priyanka Chaturvedi's 'Disgraceful' Remark On Post
More had earlier also apologised following the controversy, and soon after, his Instagram account became unavailable. This led many to believe that he had deactivated his account amid the row, but the comedian clarified in the new clip that his account had been suspended.
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