India's Got Latent Contestant Jokes On Deepika Padukone's Depression Battle; Sparks Controversy

Samay Raina's YouTube show 'India's Got Latent' often makes headlines with dark humour, leading to several controversies. The latest episode of the show starring Raina, comedian Tanmay Bhat, producer and actor Raghu Ram, neurologist Dr Sid Warrier, and Balraj Singh, the owner of Habitat (the show's venue)—was released on YouTube recently and has been making the news.

Comedian Jokes on Deepika Padukone:

Now, a clip from the episode shows a contestant named Bunty Banerjee referring to the birth of Deepika and Ranveer Singh's daughter Dua is going viral on social media. "Deepika Padukone also became a mother recently, right? Great, now she knows what depression really looks like," she says in the clip.

Netizens Seem Unhappy with the Comments:

However, this comment didn't go well with the netizens and they slammed her for mocking depression, which is a serious issue.

Photo Credit: Instagram

"It's Disgusting..."

Slamming the comedian, a user wrote on Reddit, "Making fun of someone's clinical depression is disgusting, but it's even worse coming from a woman, all in the name of comedy. The lengths some people go to for male validation are truly pathetic. And what does she mean by 'now she knows what real depression looks like now that she's a mother'? Does she think postpartum depression is a joke?" 

"These Kind of Jokes..."

Calling it a tasteless joke, another user commented, "I get that it's supposed to be a “joke”. But we live in a country where mental health is still a huge taboo and a large section of people don't take it seriously. These kinds of jokes just make things worse and a step back for all those people working hard to bring awareness. Sorry, but I don't think we're ready for such tasteless jokes."

Deepika Padukone has been vocal about her battles with anxiety and depression. In October 2015, she formed The Live Love Laugh Foundation to create awareness on mental health in India.