Vineeth Srinivasan revives the controversial ‘Would You Rather’ joke with a twist at a comedy show

Comedian Vineeth Srinivasan took the stage at the Laughs Per Minute: Breathless Edition show in Mumbai on Friday night, delivering a sharp, socially relevant performance.During his set, Vineeth brought back a controversial “Would You Rather” joke that previously landed podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia in trouble, reports Hindustan Times.
However, this time, he gave it a fresh, thought-provoking spin. Referring to Mumbai’s severe air pollution, Vineeth joked, “Would you rather watch your parents breathe the 2.5 PM particulate or get the government to participate and solve it forever?” The clever wordplay, mixing dark humor with an urgent issue, drew loud applause and cheers from the audience. He then discussed Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality, likening it to “smoking 2.9 cigarettes per day,” and joked that this level of pollution could ironically help smokers save ₹60 daily.By reworking the joke into a social commentary on air pollution, Vineeth Srinivasan managed to turn a previously offensive format into a sharp, satirical dig at the government's inaction, and such witty jokes should be appreciated.For the unversed, the joke’s structure was an indirect callback to the infamous India’s Got Latent controversy, which erupted last month after an FIR was filed against multiple YouTubers, including Ashish Chanchlani, Samay Raina, and Ranveer Allahbadia. The controversy started from an offensive remark made by Ranveer during the show, where he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents… or join in once and stop it forever?” The comment sparked outrage, with social media users calling it inappropriate and distasteful. Following the backlash, Maharashtra cyber police registered an FIR against more than 30 individuals associated with the show, including comedian Samay Raina. While several people have been questioned, Samay’s statement has not yet been recorded. Meanwhile, the Laughs Per Minute: Breathless Edition show also featured comedians like Daniel Fernandes, Aditi Mittal, Raunaq Rajani, Aadar Malik, and Supriya Joshi, all of whom took aim at Mumbai’s worsening pollution crisis through humor.