‘Too Polished, Too Safe’: Samay Raina’s Big Latent Comeback With Alia Bhatt Sparks Mixed Reactions Online

Samay Raina’s long-awaited (and quite controversial) show India’s Got Latent is back today for season 2. The comedian took to his Instagram Stories to share the YouTube link for the first episode of the show, whose thumbnail featured Alia Bhatt wearing a cap with “Alpha” written on it, as well as Sharvari Wagh, her co-actor in the upcoming movie. Also in the show were Ashish Solanki and Balraj Ghai. The caption read, “Are we ready to start the show?”

Initially, the hype surrounding the return was unmatched. Given the show’s chaotic history, fans viewed the high-profile premiere as a legendary move for Indian digital space. One person commented, “Bro got banned, deleted the whole season, and came back with a Netflix deal. Absolute peak internet

culture.” Someone else wrote, “Biggest comeback the industry has ever seen.” while another user commented, “Netflix ka set tutega ab.”

Internet Reacts: Has Latent Lost Its Unfiltered Edge?

However, once the actual episode hit screens, the mood on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) was indecisive. Instead of the raw, underground, and deeply unhinged vibe that defined Season 1, many viewers felt the heavy streaming investment and mainstream celebrity presence completely altered the show’s DNA.

As one user wrote, “Latent feeling different now ? Heres why..
1. Too much polished content probably caz of Netflix approved 4K camera
2. Samay bhai not being himself infront of Alia or maybe its because he is doing this after a long time.
3. Too much Sponsors, maybe just 1 would feel less commercialised.
4. And of course no dark jokes or roast, only feel good content.”

This is exactly why many people never wanted Samay to collaborate with Netflix 🙏

– An actor came in pretending to be drunk
– Instead of making a joke, Samay first asked Alia if he could pull that scripted joke about her father
– He didn’t hesitate for a sec to make jokes about… pic.twitter.com/dExSR47Gpk

— ` (@worshipVK) June 20, 2026

Another user added, “Samay Latent S2 with Alia Bhatt was painful to watch 🤮🤢 ~Forceful comedy, zero raw jokes, not even one laugh. Alia faking cute & soft energy — it was so obvious.🤡 ~ Worst episode so far. Bring back the old unfiltered Latent ”

Despite the heavy “feel good” pivot, Samay didn’t completely hold back, managing to drop a few pointed barbs that went viral on the timeline. One user highlighted, “#SamayRaina took a dig at #AliaBhatt’s Jigra, and Cannes Event, Said “Here all cameras will be on you”😭”

Alia Bhatt roasting Samay Raina on Latent is Hilarious 😭💥 pic.twitter.com/Ip9fhqu9Uk

— CineHub (@Its_CineHub) June 20, 2026

Many users also praised Alia for not laughing at one of the jokes made on the show. They wrote, “alia bhatt being the only sane person in the room to not laugh at Epstein Island joke”. Some users also praised her for holding her own infront of Samay, who is usually very quick with his remarks. “Alia Bhatt roasting Samay Raina on Latent is Hilarious 😭💥”