Months after controversy, Ranveer Allahbadia returns to brand collaborations with boAt

Ranveer Allahbadia’s controversy in February led to a sharp decline in his brand collaborations and online presence. On Instagram, where he was once a frequent face in campaigns, his last major integration came in late 2024 with Amazon Prime. This marked a significant slowdown for the YouTuber and podcaster, who had previously built a 10-million-strong subscriber base for his TRS show over the past decade and was known for hosting senior government officials such as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Home Minister Amit Shah, and several leading corporate executives.

Allahbadia made a comeback with Shark Tank’s judge Aman Gupta’s boAt, marking his first major collaboration since the backlash. The ad addresses the problem of weak phone batteries. “Have you ever thought about the death of a battery?” he asks before introducing boAt’s power solution. The film closes with him quipping, “Is phone ka comeback hogaya, just like me,” followed by a co-actor responding, “Bro, don’t do comedy anymore.”

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Within five hours of release, the campaign had registered 17K likes, 527 comments, and 62 reposts on Instagram. Audience feedback was largely positive, with comments ranging from “Best creator ad I have ever seen” and “Wow Ranveer, you can really act” to “You have become an actor” and “Unbeatable.”

Before the controversy, Ranveer aka BeerBiceps—was a regular partner for marquee brands. His portfolio included campaigns with Spotify, Mountain Dew, Amazon Prime Video, Ajio, Intel, Wow Skin Science, Samsung, Asus, boAt, Zomato, Groww, and MyProtein. He was also part of the India launch promotion for MrBeast’s Prime.

The controversy surrounding Ranveer Allahbadia, along with fellow creators Samay Raina, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh and Apoorva Mukhija, erupted in February during a live episode of the comedy-talent show India’s Got Latent. The group was accused of making objectionable and derogatory remarks, which quickly drew sharp criticism on social media. Within hours, hashtags such as #BoycottIndiaGotLatent began trending, and a formal complaint was filed with police.

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While the controversy affected all creators associated with the show, its impact was not uniform. Samay swiftly returned to brand partnerships with companies such as Deconstruct Skincare, boAt and Bold Care. Ashish and Apoorva also resumed collaborations, maintaining steady visibility across platforms.

For Allahbadia, however, the fallout proved more severe. Known for hosting senior government officials, business leaders, and celebrities on his TRS podcast, his stature as both a YouTuber and podcaster placed him under a brighter spotlight. The scrutiny translated into a marked pause in brand integrations and high-profile guest appearances, with only a handful of guests such as Jackson Wang, Navika Kumar, Suresh Raina and Boman Irani appearing on his platform in the months following the incident.