Samay Raina
{{Short description|Indian comedian and YouTuber (born 1997)}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Samay Raina
| image = Samay raina (cropped).jpg
| caption = Raina in 2020
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|10|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| alma_mater = PVG's COET
| occupation = {{hlist|Stand-up comedian|YouTuber}}
| yearsactive = 2017–present
| known_for = {{hlist|India's Got Latent|Comicstaan 2}}
| spouse =
| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality
| embed = yes
| channel_handle = SamayRainaOfficial
| channel_display_name = Samay Raina
| pseudonym =
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Comedy
- Gameplay
- Chess
}}
| subscribers = 7.44 million
| views = 591.666 million
| network =
| associated_acts =
| silver_button = yes
| silver_year = 2020
| gold_button = yes
| gold_year = 2022
| diamond_button =
| diamond_year =
| stats_update = 15 June 2025
}}
}}
Samay Raina (born 26 October 1997){{Cite web |title=Samay Raina {{!}} Top Chess Players |url=https://www.chess.com/players/samay-raina |website=Chess.com |access-date=15 February 2025}} is an Indian stand-up comedian and YouTuber. He was the co-winner of the stand-up comedy contest Comicstaan 2 (2019).{{cite news |title=Aakash Gupta and Samay Raina win Comicstaan 2 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/comicstaan-2-winners-aakash-gupta-and-samay-raina-5909204/ |access-date=29 September 2020 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 August 2019}} Since 2024, he has hosted the comedy talent show India's Got Latent.
Early life
Raina was born in Jammu city of the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir into a conservative Kashmiri Pandit family. He enrolled in a print engineering course at Vidhyarthi Griha's College of Engineering and Technology in Pune, Maharashtra, which he said was a waste of time, and started doing open mic events and eventually became a regular in the local comedy scene.{{cite news|date=23 January 2020|title='Standing up' for Kashmir|work=The New Indian Express|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2020/jan/23/standing-up-for-kashmir-2093128.html|access-date=17 October 2020}}
Career
=Stand-up=
After performing at multiple open mics since 27 August 2017, Raina began opening for well-known comedians like Anirban Dasgupta and Abhishek Upmanyu in Pune. As he gained recognition, he moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and gave several successful shows in Mumbai and several cities across the nation.{{Cite web |last=Verma |first=Anshika |date=February 11, 2025 |title=Standup Comedian Samay Raina’s Impressive Net Worth |url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/web-stories/check-out-standup-comedian-samay-raina-impressive-networth-125105 |access-date=June 15, 2025 |website=Jagran Josh}}
=Comicstaan 2=
Eventually, he joined Comicstaan 2 from a suggestion from his co-winner Aakash Gupta. Later, he became the joint winner of Comicstaan 2 with Aakash Gupta, aired on Amazon Prime Video.{{Cite news|title=Comicstaan Season 2 winners: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina win the Amazon original show, awarded prize money of Rs 10 lakh|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/television/web-series/story/comicstaan-season-2-winners-akash-gupta-samay-raina-win-the-amazon-original-show-awarded-prize-money-of-rs-10-lakh-1581506-2019-08-16|access-date=27 February 2021|work=India Today|language=en|date=16 August 2019}}{{Cite news|title=Comicstaan season 2: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina crowned as winners of Amazon Prime Video India comedy show |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/comicstaan-season-2-akash-gupta-samay-raina-crowned-as-winners-of-amazon-prime-video-india-comedy-show-7177151.html|access-date=27 February 2021|work=Firstpost|date=17 August 2019}}
=YouTube =
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government cancelled all outdoor events, and thus, Raina could no longer perform stand-up comedy. He then began streaming chess games on his YouTube channel at the fellow comedian Tanmay Bhat's suggestion. His viewership boosted when he invited YouTuber Antonio Radić, popularly known as Agadmator, to his channel. In response to this, Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi tweeted that he would like to join Raina on his track. Eventually, Gujrathi appeared on Raina's channel, giving another boost to Raina's viewership. Since then, the two have fostered a strong relationship and frequently feature on each other's channels. Gujrathi attributes his moving from Twitch to YouTube to Raina's suggestion.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
According to many chess proponents, including GMs Viswanathan Anand, Vidit Gujrathi, Anish Giri, Teimour Radjabov, Baskaran Adhiban, Emil Sutovsky and IMs Tania Sachdev and Sagar Shah, Raina has been instrumental in popularising chess in India through his channel.{{Cite web|date=25 August 2020|title=Mover & shaker: How comedy is redefining chess for a cause|url=https://www.espn.in/chess/story/_/id/29716812/how-indian-stand-comic-samay-raina-redefining-chess-cause|access-date=30 March 2021|website=ESPN|language=en}} Raina tries to make the game of chess more appealing to the masses through his humour which, according to many, has helped him reach a larger audience.{{cite news |date=5 September 2020 |first1=Prasad |last1=RS |title=We have made chess more consumable for the masses: Samay Raina |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/we-have-made-chess-more-consumable-for-the-masses-samay-raina/articleshow/77950939.cms |access-date=29 September 2020 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}
Several well-known chess personalities like Pentala Harikrishna, Judit Polgár, former world chess champions Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen have appeared on Raina's channel.{{Cite news|last1=RS |first1=Prasad|title=Anand to take on stand-up comedians in charity match|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/anand-to-take-on-stand-up-comedians-in-charity-match/articleshow/75361393.cms|access-date=27 February 2021|work=The Times of India|language=en|date=24 March 2020}}{{Cite web|last=Belz|first=Emily|title=The 2020 internet chess carnival - WORLD|url=https://world.wng.org/2020/11/the_2020_internet_chess_carnival|access-date=27 February 2021|website=world.wng.org|language=en|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130080553/https://world.wng.org/2020/11/the_2020_internet_chess_carnival|url-status=dead}} He also organised chess tournaments featuring Indian celebrities such as cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal.{{Cite news|title=Viswanathan Anand, Yuzvendra Chahal and others raise Rs 8.86 lakh for waste-pickers community through online chess charity tournament|url=https://www.wionews.com/sports/viswanathan-anand-yuzvendra-chahal-and-others-raise-rs-886-lakh-for-waste-pickers-community-through-online-chess-charity-tournament-295065/amp|access-date=27 February 2021|work=www.wionews.com}}{{Cite web|last=Joshi|first=Sparsh|date=25 May 2020|title=How One Comedian is changing the way India sees Chess|url=https://medium.com/@say2sparsh/how-one-comedian-is-changing-the-way-india-sees-chess-7d57810620b1|access-date=27 February 2021|website=Medium|language=en}}
In addition to chess, he also live streams many other games on his YouTube channel.
= Chess =
Samay plays on Chess.com as samayraina. {{As of|2024|12|6}}, Raina has a rating of 1621 at rapid chess on chess.com, while the highest recorded rating was 1942 on 3 August 2023.{{cite web |title=M Samay Raina (samayraina) - Chess Profile |url=https://www.chess.com/member/samayraina |website=Chess.com}} On 5 May 2021, Raina won the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational, a one-hour amateur bullet arena tournament sponsored by Chess.com and hosted by the Botez sisters. He was the only Indian streamer competing among some of the top international Twitch streamers and earned $4000.{{Cite web|title=Samay Raina wins the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational - ChessBase India|url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Samay-Raina-wins-the-Botez-Bullet-Invitational|access-date=9 May 2021|website=www.chessbase.in|date=6 May 2021}}
== Comedians on Board (COB) ==
He started organising online chess tournaments on his channel to attract the online audience to chess, called Comedians On Board (COB), inviting many of his comedian friends and other celebrities.{{Cite web |last=Shah |first=Sagar |date=November 11, 2020 |title=Comedians on Board 3 comes to an end with Joel D'Souza as the champion |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Comedians-on-Board-3-finale |access-date=June 15, 2025 |website=ChessBase India}}
== Chess Super League (CSL) ==
Raina with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming organised an online chess league called Chess Super League consisting of some of the Top International and Indian Grandmasters, International Masters and Indian Junior Players, competing in six teams of six players each. For the prize pool of {{INRConvert|40|l|lk=off}}. The entire event was streamed on Raina's YouTube Channel.{{Cite web|date=9 October 2021|title=The Chess Super League is here!|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-chess-super-league-is-here|access-date=10 February 2022|website=Chess News|language=en}}
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began streaming chess games along with multiple comedians and chess masters. He has raised substantial amounts of money for various causes through his YouTube channel, including help for waste pickers,{{cite web |title=Charity begins with chess? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/charity-begins-with-chess/story-UHJbOc0DnwcQtNgpIfHlzH.html |website=Hindustan Times |access-date=29 September 2020 |language=en |date=30 May 2020}} and relief for West Bengal and Assam flood victims.{{cite news |title=Mover & shaker: How stand-up comic Samay Raina is redefining chess for a cause |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/chess/story/_/id/29716812/how-indian-stand-comic-samay-raina-redefining-chess-cause |access-date=29 September 2020 |publisher=ESPN}}{{cite web |last1=Kulkarni (Rakesh) |first1=Rakesh |title=Chess For Charity: Chess for West Bengal, India |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/chess-for-charity-chess-for-west-bengal-india |website=Chess.com|date=June 2020 }}
''India’s Got Latent''
{{Main|India's Got Latent}}
In June 2024, Samay Raina launched India's Got Latent, a reality show focused on uncovering hidden talents. The show, which blends comedy and performance, features a unique format where participants are evaluated not only on their talents but also on their self-awareness, with comedic commentary and celebrity guest judges contributing to the evaluation process. Hosted on Raina's YouTube channel, the show quickly garnered attention and positive reception, particularly among younger audiences, for its distinctive, humour-driven approach to talent discovery.{{Cite web |title=India's Got Latent (2024) - Comedy Show by Samay Raina {{!}} BrownPant |url=https://brownpant.com/shows/indias-got-latent/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title='I Want To Level Up': Samay Raina On His Latest Project 'India's Got Latent' & Pushing The Envelope With His Comedy - DeadAnt |url=https://deadant.co/i-want-to-level-up-samay-raina-on-his-latest-project-indias-got-latent-pushing-the-envelope-with-his-comedy/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |website=deadant.co/ |language=en-US}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://trakt.tv/shows/india-s-got-latent-2024 |title=India's Got Latent |access-date=1 October 2024 |via=trakt.tv}}
He then ventured into the tech and entertainment space with the launch of his app India's Got Latent, inspired by his YouTube show. Raina said he aims to eventually transition the platform into a full-fledged OTT service, featuring shows across genres such as poetry, rap, and reality TV. Within hours of launch, the app reached top of the charts on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.{{Cite web |date=8 January 2025 |title=Comedian Samay Raina launches India's Got Latent app, reaches top of the charts on Apple App Store and Google Play Store |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/comedian-samay-raina-launches-indias-got-latent-app-reaches-top-of-the-charts-on-apple-app-store-and-google-play-store-459966-2025-01-08 |access-date=17 January 2025 |website=Business Today |language=en}}
Controversies
=Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial remark on ''India's Got Latent''=
On 10 February 2025, The Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that the Guwahati Police had registered an FIR against Raina as well as other YouTubers, including, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, Ranveer Allahbadia, for promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions on India's Got Latent.{{cite tweet |user=himantabiswa |author=Himanta Biswa Sarma |author-link=Himanta Biswa Sarma |number=1888955075906961727 |title=Himanta Biswa Sarma's Post on X |date=10 February 2025 |access-date=6 December 2024}}{{cite news |last=Deeksha |first=Gour |date=10 February 2025 |title=Assam Police Book YouTubers Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia And Others As 'India's Got Latent' Comes Under Fire |url=https://english.jagran.com/india/assam-police-file-fir-against-samay-raina-ranveer-allahbadia-apoorva-makhija-and-others-over-obscenity-in-indias-got-latent-10217850 |work=Dainik Jagran |access-date=10 February 2025}} Sarma also informed that the Guwahati Crime Branch had filed the case under various sections of BNS 2023, the IT Act, 2000, the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.{{Cite news |last=Sukheja |first=Bhavya |date=14 February 2025 |title=India's Got Latent Row: Who Said What As Samay Raina Forced To Remove All YouTube Episodes |url=https://www.ndtv.com/feature/indias-got-latent-row-who-said-what-as-samay-raina-forced-to-remove-all-youtube-episodes-7708513 |work=NDTV |access-date=14 February 2025}} He added that the police investigation into the matter was ongoing.{{Cite news |last=Mishra |first=Vinay |date=10 February 2025 |title=Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, Ashish Chanchlani & Other YouTubers Booked For 'Promoting Obscenity And Engaging In Vulgar Discussion' In Guwahati, Says Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/ranveer-allahbadia-samay-raina-ashish-chanchlani-other-youtubers-booked-for-promoting-obscenity-and-engaging-in-vulgar-discussion-in-guwahati-says-assam-cm-himanta-biswa-sarma |work=Free Press Journal |access-date=10 February 2025}} The issue was also raised in the Zero Hour of Parliament, with concerns raised about regulating platforms like YouTube.{{Cite news |title=Trouble mounts for Ranveer Allahbadia & others linked to Samay Raina's show: Top developments |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/trouble-mounts-for-ranveer-allahbadia-others-linked-to-samay-rainas-show-indias-got-latent-top-developments/articleshow/118151638.cms |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |date=11 February 2025 |access-date=11 February 2025}} Later, the video was removed following objections from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).{{cite news |title=Samay Raina deletes all videos of controversial show India's Got Latent, says 'only objective was to make people laugh' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/samay-raina-deletes-all-videos-of-controversial-show-indias-got-latent-only-objective-make-people-laugh-9832770/ |work=The Indian Express |date=13 February 2025 |access-date=13 February 2025}} The Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the YouTuber's comment.{{Cite news |last=Jaiswal |first=Arushi |date=10 February 2025 |title=Maharashtra CM Fadnavis condemns YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia's remarks, NHRC takes action |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/maharashtra/ranveer-allahbadia-maharashtra-cm-devendra-fadnavis-condemns-youtuber-remarks-nhrc-takes-action-latest-updates-2025-02-10-975583 |work=India TV News |access-date=11 February 2025}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes !Ref. |
| 2019
|Contestant |Winner |
| 2021
|Contestant |Winner |
| 2021
|Himself |Season 2; Episode 5 |
| 2024–2025
|Presenter/Judge | |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- [https://www.chess.com/member/samayraina Samay Raina] member profile at Chess.com
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raina, Samay}}
Category:Indian stand-up comedians