Advertisement
Sections
Dance Deewane 3 host Raghav Juyal issues clarification after Assam CM criticises his 'racist rhetoric' against Guwahati contestant
Raghav Juyal clarified that his remark on Gunjan Sinha, a young Assamese contestant in Dance Deewane 3, was taken out of context: "You will not call me racist if you'd see the whole show."

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said racism should be condemned "unequivocally" after a contestant from Guwahati on a dance reality show was subjected to racist rhetoric.
In a clip of Dance Deewane 3 that has gone viral on social media, the host-dancer of the show, Raghav Juyal, is seen introducing a contestant from the North East while speaking gibberish, seemingly to mock Mandarin, the language spoken by the Chinese people.
Advertisement
When the judges, including actor Madhuri Dixit-Nene and filmmaker Remo D'Souza, ask him what he is trying to do, the host replies as he casually makes a racist remark on the young contestant, Gunjan Sinha. "People might not be able to understand her Chinese but they surely understand her dance," he is heard saying in the 40-second clip.The third season of the show, which went on air earlier this year, concluded last month. The chief minister took to Twitter and said the "racist rhetoric" against the contestant was unacceptable.Here's the tweet by Himanta Biswa Sarma Dance Deewane was judged by Dixit-Nene, and choreographers Tushar Kalia and Dharmesh Yelande. D'Souza featured on the said episode as a special guest.While there has been no official statement from the channel as yet, Juyal (30) shared a video on Instagram in an attempt to "clarify the misunderstanding." The host said he wanted to share "the story" behind the small clip that is circulating on the internet for the sake of his mental health and the people who know him."When the children come on the show, we ask them what their hobbies are. Gunjan said 'I can talk in Chinese, I have this talent'. And we used to laugh at the things children say. When we asked her to speak Chinese, she started talking in gibberish. From there onwards, we would ask her to speak in 'Chinese' on every episode or ask her to speak in the language of another planet" he said in the video.According to Juyal, in the final episodes, he introduced Gunjan in the same gibberish Chinese ahead of her acts on the show. "You will not call me racist if you'd see the whole show," he added.The host, who has starred in films like ABCD 2 and Street Dancer 3D, said he has a strong connection to the North East. "I have my family in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. I have friends in Nagaland with whom I've grown up in boarding school. I'm someone who tries to show things politically correct, and who takes a stand on injustice and racism. Instead, I often get trolled whenever I take a stand for a religion, caste, culture or creed," he said.Towards the end of the video, Juyal said he apologises to those whose sentiments were hurt. "I'm so sorry if I've hurt your sentiments. It was neither my or the channel's motives that something like this happens. But before making a clip viral and judging, I'd really want you to watch the whole show," he added.Here's Raghav Juyal's clarification video on InstagramHere's another Instagram video Juyal posted as part of his clarification With inputs from Press Trust of India.
First Published:Nov 16, 2021, 15:46:41 IST
Advertisement
Advertisement

How Spider-Man actor Tom Holland has been on a sobriety journey of 4.5 years after being "addicted to alcohol"
Tom Holland has been open about his struggle with alcohol addiction and his 4.5-year sobriety journey, even at the height of his Spider-Man and The Odyssey fame.
3 min read
Sitar virtuoso Rishab Sharma steals the spotlight with Rs 35.8 lakh Jacob & Co Ram Janmabhoomi watch at ‘Ramayana’ event: Here's what makes it rare
Sitarist Rishab Sharma grabbed attention at the Ramayana event with a limited-edition Rs 35.8 lakh Jacob & Co. Epic X Ram Janmabhoomi watch. Here's what makes the luxury timepiece so special.
2 min read
Amitabh Bachchan reveals being admitted to the ICU and undergoing surgery, calls recovery 'the most difficult phase of life'
Amitabh Bachchan has revealed he was hospitalised, underwent surgery and spent time in the ICU. The veteran actor reflected on the emotional and physical challenges of recovery in a deeply personal blog post.
2 min read
Avengers Doomsday trailer out: What to expect from Marvel's ultimate crossover
Marvel Studios has dropped the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. From Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom and Chris Evans' return to the X-Men crossover, here's everything you need to know.
3 min read
Christopher Nolan banned the orchestra for 'The Odyssey': The sound of gongs, scrap metal and more
Composer Ludwig Göransson reveals how he built the epic's entire sound world from bronze gongs, scrap metal and ancient Greek instruments like the aulos and lyre.
2 min read
Advertisement
Advertisement
