Mumbai: Comedian Samay Raina found an unexpected way to look back on his earlier troubles with the Maharashtra Cyber Cell when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated him at a cyber-awareness event in Mumbai.
The event was organised around the launch of Maharashtra Cyber’s short film Digital Arrest and the 1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem. Raina, who contributed to both projects, was among several personalities honoured for helping spread awareness about cybercrime.
Actors Pankaj Tripathi and Ashish Vidyarthi, along with several other celebrities, were also present at the programme.
While accepting the honour, Raina used his speech to make light of his previous interactions with Maharashtra Cyber. Referring to the department's 1930 helpline, the comedian joked that he had already saved the number on his phone because he had received calls from cyber authorities in the past.
Raina also described his association with the department as a long-running one and joked about how a cyber official had once visited his home during the controversy surrounding his comedy show.
His comments drew attention because of the comedian’s earlier legal troubles connected to India’s Got Latent. In 2025, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell investigated Raina and others following a controversy surrounding remarks made on the YouTube programme. The episode resulted in multiple FIRs and a wider debate over the limits of online comedy and content.
Raina was subsequently questioned by Maharashtra Cyber officials after initially seeking permission to record his statement remotely while he was in the United States. The authorities required him to appear in person, and he eventually travelled to Mumbai for questioning.
Against that backdrop, his felicitation at an event organised by the same department became a striking contrast to his earlier experience. A video of the ceremony later surfaced on Raina’s Instagram account, with several followers describing the development as a “full circle moment”.
The event itself focused on the growing challenge of cybercrime and the need for greater public awareness. Fadnavis stressed that communicating such messages through popular artists, actors and singers could help the information reach a wider audience.
The Chief Minister felicitated personalities who contributed to Digital Arrest and the 1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem, recognising their role in the awareness campaign.
The gathering brought together entertainment personalities including Pankaj Tripathi, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sharad Kelkar, Sonali Bendre, Javed Jaffrey, Sunidhi Chauhan, Mangesh Desai and Samay Raina.
For Raina, however, the occasion carried an additional layer. Once questioned by the cyber authorities over his online content, he was now standing on the same stage receiving recognition for helping communicate a message about cyber safety—an irony he was quick to acknowledge himself.
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