'Men, call this out': The Pranit More show, Gurugram man's ‘ ₹370 vasool’ monologue, the outrage explained

LEwd, crass and repellent ar understatements to draw the comments made at a stand-up comedy demo of comic Pranit More by a man in the audience - identified as Himanshu Jangra - who has since reportedly been fired over his narration of an encounter with a woman, from whom he said he wanted to "vasool" the ₹370 he spent on biryani, implying an expectation of a sexual encounter in return.The man identified himself as a 23-year-old and said the woman was in her late 20s, adding in an obscene manner that it had been his fantasy to have a sexual encounter with an older woman. "Meri fantasy thi badi ladki leni hai," the man said in Hindi - a phrase HT has chosen not to translate because of the sheer crassness and explicit undertone of the remark.What appears even more disturbing than the man's remarks in the viral clips, viewed by hindustantimes.com, was the roaring applause and encouragement from both the audience and comedian Pranit More throughout the monologue. Far from pushing back against the comments, the crowd repeatedly clapped and laughed as the man narrated the encounter in graphic detail, while the comedian appeared keen to egg him on and have him continue the story.In the clip, the man claimed he met a woman at his co-working space in Haryana's Gurugram and believed she was "hitting on" him. He said the two eventually went out together, during which he spent ₹370 on biryani that he later wanted to "vasool" - implying an expectation of a sexual encounter in return. He went on to describe them kissing and alleged that he then tried to "complete unfinished business" by putting his hand inside her top. The minutes-long monologue continued uninterrupted, with no visible objection from the audience or the comedian despite the increasingly lewd narration.HT could not confirm when and where the stand-up show by Maharashtra-based comedian Pranit More took place. He, however, held two shows in Gurugram - in The Laugh Store and DLF Cyberhub - on May 25 and May 26.What Pranit More saidAfter the clip went viral, triggering widespread outrage, Pranit More took to his now-deactivated social media handle to address the controversy around the man's remarks - which he earlier described as "Peak Gurgaon Content" - and said the comments made do not reflect his viewsMore's post on Instagram read, “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 judgement on my part. Live crowdwork often involves reacting in real time, but that’s not an excuse. I take the feedback seriously and will be more thoughtful in how I handle similar situations going forward.Social media eruptsAs scores on social media slammed not just the audience member but also the comedian and crowd for laughing and cheering during the exchange, the company the man works in - Starvik Design - identified and fired him from job.One user wrote on X described the man's remarks as pure entitlement and objectification. "A man publicly admits he sees a woman as a transaction - cheap food in exchange for her body... The Comedian encouraged the Cringe Fest... This is Rape Culture In Plain Sight - Packaged As "Dark Humour" & “Locker Room Talk",” the post read.Another user directly criticised Pranit More, writing: "He is Pranit More. Massive following. Huge influence. Brands like @PrimeVideoIN, @ZeptoNow & @NIVEAIndia pay him to represent them... He could've stopped the misogyny right there. He could've shut down the "wasool toh karunga" nonsense... Instead… he laughed. Instead… he amplified it. Instead… he turned entitlement over women's bodies into a punchline."However, some users questioned whether losing a job over remarks made outside the workplace was justified. "This guy had to be removed from his job because of one joke that went viral online... Ideally cannot be considered as a joke but losing a job on a mistake done outside workplace is like a nightmare," one user wrote. Responding to that post, a user, poet Sakshi Narula, wrote: “Men need behave themselves. The reason he felt empowered to say something like that is because he knows there will be no consequences. He reduced a woman's worth to ₹370. When people face the consequences of their misogyny, let them. What his parents didn't teach him, life will.”Another user claimed the man's social media activity reflected deeper misogyny. "Anyone showing sympathy with that Biryani guy who got fired, this is what his thinking is... R@pist and violence against women mentality at full display!!"Many female journalists also reacted strongly. "Good that his employer sacked him... 'Team members described him as professional, respectful, hardworking, well-behaved.' Irrelevant. This is what women mean when they 'all men'." In another, she said: "Good lord. I just watched the extended clip. '370 rupaye wasool karunga' is a rape threat," said a journalist on X.Another wrote: "My blood's boiling. Women, I'm sorry to say this, but protect yourselves like nobody else's business... Asliyat mein ladkiyon ke liye mahaul aur dangerous hota jaa raha hai." Another X user wrote: "What an absolute cesspool of a show. Shame on #PranitMore for enabling this vile shit... Disgusting, depraved mentality from everyone sitting in that room... The bar was already in hell and these pathetic losers brought a shovel."Jangra fired from jobThe firm where Jangra worked announced his firing on its Instagram handle on Tuesday. “Over the past day, I have received a large number of messages, emails and calls regarding one of our employees, Himanshu Jangra. Like many others, I also saw the clips that have been widely circulated online,” someone from the management said in a video message and added:I want to state unequivocally that the views expressed in those videos are unacceptable. They do not reflect my personal beliefs, nor do they align with the values of our organisation. They are certainly not ideas that should influence young people.Following the controversy, we conducted an internal review. We spoke with members of our team, including women employees, and examined his conduct within the workplace. Despite asking difficult questions and reviewing the matter thoroughly, we did not find any complaints against him. Colleagues described him as professional, respectful, diligent and well-mannered in the office. However, events outside the workplace have now had a direct impact on the workplace itself. As the head of the company, I have a responsibility towards our employees, clients and the overall environment within the organisation. Keeping that in mind, we have decided to discontinue our association with Himanshu.At the same time, I would like to acknowledge a point that may not be universally popular. People can make serious mistakes and must be held accountable for them. Yet, I hope we do not become a society that believes individuals are incapable of learning, reflecting, apologising or changing.My hope is that he takes this experience as an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. As we hold people responsible for their actions, we should also leave room for learning, improvement and positive change. That is the kind of society we should strive to create.Men, call the behaviour outThe controversy has since snowballed into a wider debate online around misogyny in comedy spaces, accountability for public behaviour and whether employers should act against individuals over remarks made outside professional settings.Popular social media figure Kusha Kapila, on her Instagram stories, urged “important men” to come to the front and call the “entitled, disgusting” behaviour out.Not for feminism, just for aura points, call it out… you don't even have to take any side… just call out disgusting behaviour… don't even call out the person, call out the behaviour… it is just women calling out right now," Kusha Kapila said on her Instagram stories on Tuesday.