Samay Raina runs into the viral ‘panoti guy’ on IndiGo flight; the timing sets off the internet

What began as a routine travel moment quickly turned into meme fuel after Samay Raina revealed an unexpected co-passenger - The “panoti guy."

Samay Raina probably didn’t expect his casual travel day to turn into a full-blown internet moment. But that is exactly what happened after he ran into the infamous “panoti guy,” a contestant from his old YouTube talent show. The reel he posted on Instagram quickly snowballed into one of those perfectly-timed clips that people can’t stop sharing.

Samay Raina runs into the viral “panoti guy” on an IndiGo flight(Instagram/Samay Raina)

Samay Raina meets the panoti guy on his flight

The short video starts slowly, almost like any other travel vlog. Raina is sitting inside an IndiGo flight, recording himself. Then he turns the camera, and suddenly that familiar face pops up.

The same contestant who once joked, “Jahaan bhi jaata hoon, woh jagah band ho jaati hai.” The line was funny back then, but now, with IndiGo facing a string of disruptions and delays, the timing looked almost too convenient. Within minutes, memes started flying. People commented things like “mystery solved” and “IndiGo didn’t stand a chance today.”

Who is the ‘panoti guy’?

The man earned the “panoti” tag years ago on Raina’s show India’s Got Latent. It was a small show, but it had built a tight fan base. The nickname stuck mostly because of his odd, unlucky timing at different venues. And somewhere along the way, the internet ran with the joke. But the show itself never had a smooth ride.

Samay Raina and the India's Got Latent controversy

Earlier this year, Raina and others involved in India’s Got Latent faced serious criticism for insensitive jokes in some videos. They had mocked a baby with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and also made fun of blind and cross-eyed individuals. Disability rights groups raised complaints, calling the content hurtful and irresponsible.

Things escalated quickly when the matter reached court. Summons were issued, and the comedians were told to apologise publicly. The Supreme Court also stepped in, sharply noting the lack of sensitivity in the videos and pressing for formal apologies.