He was already doing stand-ups when he entered the world of reality TV series with Bigg Boss. In a crowd full of familiar faces, he stood out with his taunting jokes and scandalous humour. While many pointed out that he sometimes crossed the line, his larger persona of an understanding, respectable and mature man helped him escape many a fire.
But today, Pranit More's words have embroiled him in a scandal that has made him deactivate his social media accounts and turned many of his supporters and industry allies against him. Who is Pranit More? Know him below!
Who is Pranit More?
Pranit More was born into a modest Maharashtrian family with his father working as a bus conductor. While he initially dreamt of becoming a pilot, he graduated with a BMS degree from K.J. Somaiya College and a Master's degree in Marketing from the Welingkar Institute of Management. He began working as a sales executive at Autobahn Automotive in Navi Mumbai where he continued from May 2013 to January 2015.
After leaving his job, he found his true calling as a content creator at Radio Mirchi from March 2019 to February 2023.
Alongside this job, he kept on focusing and contributing to his comedy career, taking up stand-up open mics whenever possible. His most famous specials were 'Baap Ko Mat Sikha' in 2024 and 'Back Bencher' in 2024.
While he enjoyed a great following for his Marathi stand-up shows, he entered mainstream media after his appearance on the Indian reality TV show
Bigg Boss 19, where he rose to fame as a self-made, middle-class man who rose to the national stage.
Post the show, More had been enjoying a great life with advertisement gigs and live shows keeping him busy. However, a recent stint in one of his shows brought him to the national limelight in the most negative of ways.
Where is Pranit More?
The controversy began during a live show in Gurugram where during a crowd-work segment, Himanshu Jangra reportedly spoke about taking a woman out and spending Rs370 on chicken biryani.
He then suggested that because he had spent the amount, he expected a 'return' on the money in the form of physical intimacy. “Maine kaha ki Rs 370 lage hain to use to wasool to karunga hi,” he said.
While the man received flak for his statement, the situation turned worse as the audience laughed out loud at the comment and Pranit engaged with the supposed joke. At the end, he rewarded the man with Rs 5000 for his storytelling. Many users argued that the comedian with a platform has a responsibility to interrupt or call out harmful and distasteful comments, when they are made in public and shared for engagement.
The entire incident also raised questions on misogyny, and a dangerous mindset where spending an amount of money on a woman gave a man any kind of entitlement towards her.
In the days that followed, Himanshu Jangra, the 22-year-old man who made the comment apologised for it and deactivate his Instagram account. Moreover, the Gurugram company he worked at, Starvik Design, also terminated his employment.
For More, the video brought immense backlash from viewers and industry professionals. "If you can act all mature, open-minded, women-respecting (saying you're a feminist ally would be a stretch) in your sets and overall media footprint, please at least try to act the same performative act in your crowdwork and Instagram too!" wrote influencer Dolly Singh.
"Urge women to call out disgusting comedy plenty. Please darna mat (please don't be scared). Bakwaas kee hai toh drag karo badhiya se (if it's nonsense, then call it out strongly). Uploading a clip like that is a choice. Choosing to crack 'certain' jokes on women and hosting that on your channel IS A CHOICE. All of it IS A CHOICE. This, btw, is not comedy! It's content designed to get a reaction. I am so glad that so many women are calling it out. Bahut achha lag raha hai (it feels very good). Bahut mazza aa raha hai (I'm really enjoying it). Aaj main apne paison se order karke biryani khaungi (today I'll order biryani with my own money and eat it)," added influencer
Kusha Kapila. Others including Sakshi Shivdasani, Uorfi Javed, Raunaq Rajani and
Elvish Yadav also commented on the same.
Meanwhile, Pranit More issued an apology on Instagram, addressing the backlash around the clip. He wrote, "I've seen the criticism regarding a recent crowdwork clip. The comments made by the audience member do not reflect my views. Looking back, I should have challenged the remark instead of laughing and moving on. That was a lapse in judgment on my part." Moreover, he also deactivated his Instagram account.
The incident has led many to question just how performative men can be in the modern age while pretending to be real gentlemen who respect women.