Kusha Kapila Recalls Samay Raina's 'Dehumanizing' Jokes On Divorce, Sex: 'Kyu Hua Yeh Roast...'

Kusha Kapila recalled Samay Raina’s potshots at her and her divorce from Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia on the Pretty Good Roast Show. Samay Raina had made several comments about the actress’ marriage, divorce and sex life, some of which had to be censored. Although Kusha took the roast like a sport, a section of her fans made it known to her that they did not appreciate Samay’s jokes.

In a recent chat with Fever FM, Kusha said, “Mujhe unko batana tha ki kyu hua yeh roast, aisa kya tha. Toh yeh meri taraf se ek simple clarification tha, ki aisa nahi hai ki paise mile the toh aise baithe the, nahi pata tha ki kya jokes aane wale hai.”

She added, “I have respect for all artists, toh roast format se problem nahi hai, is cheez se problem hai ki I wish I was in on those jokes. Bas yahi baat hai. West main sab kuch sign off hota hai. India main bhi jo hue hain usme sab sign hua hai. Sabko pata tha kya jokes hone wale hain. Yahan pe mujhe nahi pata tha. Mere jokes unko pata the.”

She said that her response was delayed as she was “frozen”. However, she thought that since women on the internet had stood up for her, it was her responsibility to issue a clarification for them. Kusha then took to her YouTube community notes and shared her thoughts on the incident. She wrote, “Friends, a recent roast I was a part of has led a lot of my female and queer followers to question why did I sit through something that could have been completely avoided and WITH GOOD REASON. Here’s my two cents: It was done in good faith and for a friend. Nobody has been paid (neither comics nor guests) for it so the argument that people are ‘being paid big fat cheques to hear their insults’ is baseless.”

Kusha also wrote, “This has been a huge learning for me too since over the course of last six months during negotiations, I have been told that I deserve these jokes and that as a divorced woman, I should have seen this coming. Maybe I should have and maybe silence on this topic is seen as cowardice but it’s mostly choosing peace over endless discourse that will likely villainise women. Simultaneously, when you don’t speak, people also choose to believe whatever they want to. So this is me clearing the air as much as I can and advising women artists to have strict riders in place.”

Kusha Kapila said that she will not sit for more roasts unless she knows what’s coming for her. She said that while she also disapproves of Samay’s jokes like the many female audience members present at the venue, she takes pride in the fact that she sat through it and found the “gumption” to perform her jokes as well.