‘Guys, call this out’: Praneet More show, Gurugram man’s ‘370 Fasoul’ monologue, anger explained

Vulgar, crude and disgusting are an understatement to describe comments made at comedian Praneet More’s comedy show by a man in the audience – identified as Himanshu Jangra – who has since reportedly been fired over his account of an encounter with a woman, with whom he said he wanted to “connect”. $370 he spent on biryani, which meant expecting a sexual encounter in return.

The man identified himself as 23 years old, and said that the woman was in her late twenties, adding in an obscene manner that he had dreamed of having a sexual encounter with an older woman. “Meri fantasia thi badi ladki leni hai“, the man said in Hindi – a phrase that HT chose not to translate due to the sheer rudeness and obvious tone of the comment.

What seemed more disturbing than the man’s statements in the viral clips, seen by Hindustantimes.com, was the applause and encouragement from both the audience and comedian Praneet More throughout the monologue. Instead of responding to the comments, the audience clapped and laughed repeatedly as the man recounted the encounter in graphic detail, while the comedian seemed keen to prod him and get him to finish the story.

In the clip, the man claimed that he met a woman at his co-working space in Haryana’s Gurugram district, and thought she was “flirting” with him. He said the two eventually went out together, and he hung out during it $370 on Biryani that he later wanted to “access” – meaning to expect a sexual encounter in return. He continued to describe them kissing and allegedly then tried to “complete unfinished business” by putting his hand inside her shirt. The monologue, which lasted for minutes, continued without interruption, without any apparent objection from the audience or the comedian despite the increasingly salacious narration.

HT could not confirm the date and venue of the comedy show hosted by Maharashtra-based comedian Praneet More. However, he has two shows in Gurugram – at The Laugh Store and DLF Cyberhub – on May 25 and 26.

More’s Instagram post read: “I’ve seen the criticism regarding a recent teamwork segment. The comments made by an audience member do not reflect my opinions. Looking back, I should have challenged the remark rather than laughed and moved on. It was a lapse in judgment on my part. Live teamwork often involves real-time reaction, but that’s no excuse. I take the comments seriously and will be more thoughtful about how I handle similar situations in the future.”

One user wrote on X calling the man’s statements pure entitlement and objectification. “A man publicly admits he sees women as a bargain – cheap food in exchange for her body… Comedian encouraged Cringe Fest… This is rape culture in plain sight – in the form of ‘dark humor’ and ‘Locker Room Talk,’” the post read.

Another user directly criticized Praneet More, writing: “He’s Praneet More. He has a massive following and has massive influence. Brands like @PrimeVideoIN, @ZeptoNow and @NIVEAIndia are paying him to represent them… He could have stopped the misogyny out there. He could have stopped the ‘wasool toh karunga’ nonsense… Instead… he laughed. Instead… he amplified it. Instead… he transferred entitlement to women’s bodies.” In the punch.”

However, some users questioned whether losing a job due to statements made outside the workplace was justified. One user wrote: “This guy had to be fired from his job because of a joke that went viral… Ideally, it wouldn’t be a joke, but losing a job because of a mistake made outside the workplace is a nightmare.”

In response to the post, one user, poet Sakshi Narula, wrote: “Men need to act normal. The reason he felt empowered to say something like this is because he knew there would be no consequences. He devalued women to $370. When people face the consequences of their misogyny, let them do so. What his parents didn’t teach him, life will teach him.

Another user claimed that the man’s social media activity reflects a deeper misogyny. “Anyone who sympathizes with that biryani man who was fired, this is his thinking…the mentality of anger and violence against women is quite clear!!”

The reaction of many female journalists was also strong. “It is good that his employer fired him…Team members described him as professional, respectful, hard-working and well-behaved.” Irrelevant. This is what women mean when they are “all men.” In another clip, she said: “Oh my God. I just watched a long clip. ‘Rs 370 and Sol Karonga’ is a rape threat,” a Channel X journalist said.

Another wrote: “My blood is boiling. Women, I’m sorry to say this, but protect yourselves like no one else does… asliyat mein ladkiyon ke liye mahaul aur dangerous hota ja raha hai.”

Another user

I want to state unequivocally that the views expressed in these videos are unacceptable. It does not reflect my personal beliefs, nor is it consistent with the values ​​of our organization. These are certainly not ideas that should influence young people.

Following the controversy, we conducted an internal review. We spoke with members of our team, including female employees, and examined his behavior within the workplace. Despite asking difficult questions and reviewing the matter carefully, we did not find any complaint against him. His colleagues described him as professional, respectful, hardworking and with good office ethics.

However, events outside the workplace now have a direct impact on the workplace itself. As the head of the company, I have a responsibility to our employees, our customers and the overall environment within the organization. Keeping this in mind, we have decided to discontinue our partnership with Himanshu.

At the same time, I would like to make a point that may not be universally popular. People can make serious mistakes and should be held accountable for them. However, I hope we do not become a society that believes individuals are incapable of learning, reflecting, apologizing, or changing.

I hope he takes this experience as an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. While we hold people accountable for their actions, we must also leave room for learning, improvement and positive change. This is the kind of society we should strive to create.

Popular social media personality Kusha Kapila, in her Instagram stories, urged “important men” to come to the forefront and stamp out the “entitled and disgusting” behaviour.

“Not for feminism, just for halo points, criticize her… You don’t even have to take any side… Just criticize the disgusting behavior… Don’t criticize the person, criticize the behaviour… It’s just women screaming now,” Kusha Kapila said on her Instagram stories on Tuesday.