Mumbai: Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has found himself at the centre of a fresh social media storm after appearing in a commercial with comedian and content creator Samay Raina, months after strongly criticising him over the India’s Got Latent controversy.
A video from the advertisement, showing Khanna making a grand entry in his iconic Shaktimaan avatar alongside Raina, quickly went viral. The unexpected collaboration has surprised many viewers, especially because Khanna had earlier been among the most vocal critics of Raina’s comedy style and the content of India’s Got Latent.
During the earlier controversy, Khanna had expressed strong objections to the show’s language and humour, arguing that such content could negatively influence younger audiences. His remarks had triggered a heated online debate on comedy, morality, censorship and pop-culture accountability.
Raina, on his part, had later taken a dig at the actor in his stand-up special Still Alive, using the line “Sorry Shaktimaan,” which further kept the exchange alive among fans and critics.
Now, with both personalities appearing together in a commercial, social media users are asking whether this is a genuine truce, a professional arrangement, or simply another example of controversy turning into collaboration.
Many users accused Khanna of double standards, questioning how someone who had earlier taken a strong moral stand against Raina could now share screen space with him for an advertisement. Some called it an “unexpected collab,” while others joked that the internet had once again been made to invest emotionally in a fight that eventually became content.
The development has also reminded users of Samay Raina’s earlier advertisement with comedian Sunil Pal, who too had strongly criticised him before later appearing with him in a promotional campaign. For many online observers, the pattern is familiar: first comes outrage, then comes reconciliation, and finally comes a brand deal.
However, others defended Khanna, saying that criticism and professional collaboration need not always be mutually exclusive. A section of users argued that public figures are allowed to move on, resolve differences, or participate in commercial work without every decision being treated as moral surrender.
The timing has made the collaboration even more talked about, as India’s Got Latent Season 2 has already returned to public discussion. Fans are now speculating whether Khanna’s appearance with Raina is limited to the advertisement or if it hints at a larger pop-culture crossover.
There is no official confirmation yet that Mukesh Khanna will appear as a guest on India’s Got Latent. For now, the viral clip appears to be part of an advertisement, but that has not stopped social media from treating it as the latest twist in one of the internet’s most unusual comedy controversies.
Whether the collaboration is seen as hypocrisy, humour, business, or simply two public figures moving on, it has succeeded in doing one thing for certain: putting both Mukesh Khanna and Samay Raina back at the centre of the online conversation.
