NEW DELHI: Raghav Juyal, an actor and television host, recently clarified a statement he made while presenting ‘Dance Deewane 3’ after footage from the event, which he put on his social media account, was criticised as ‘racist’ by netizens. A video featuring ‘Dance Deewane 3’ host Raghav Juyal introducing a participant from Assam with a monologue consisting of phrases like “momos” and “Chinese” has gone viral on social media.
Several users on social media, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticized Raghav Juyal for being racist towards the kid participant. Raghav responded to the backlash with a video on his Instagram account. He could be seen justifying his intentions and apologising for hurting the feelings of his North-East Indian supporters. Raghav revealed in the video why he used a cringy Chinese language to introduce Gunjan Sinha, a contestant on the competition.
Raghav explained his conduct by stating that Gunjan had previously stated on the show that she can speak Chinese (though it was mostly gibberish) and that this is her second ability after dancing. He ended the video by admitting that being labelled a “racist” is negatively impacting his mental health. Fans have criticised not only Raghav, but also the show’s judges Madhuri Dixit, Tushar Kalia, Dharmesh Yelande, and Remo D’Souza for applauding such jokes.