Vivek Vishwakarma fired Himanshu Jangra after a viral stand-up comedy clip involving a "Rs 370 biryani" remark sparked public controversy [1].

The incident highlights the tension between an employee's private creative expression and the reputational risks faced by a corporate employer. It underscores how social media volatility can lead to immediate professional consequences, even when internal conduct remains blameless.

Jangra was an employee at Starvik Design, a design and marketing agency based in Gurugram [1]. The controversy began after a clip of Jangra's comedy performance surfaced, in which he mentioned a biryani costing Rs 370 [3]. The remark drew significant attention online, prompting the agency to investigate the matter.

Vishwakarma said the company conducted an internal review of Jangra's professional behavior. The review found zero workplace complaints against the employee [2]. Despite the lack of misconduct within the office, the agency decided to fire Jangra due to the external fallout of the viral clip [1].

Vishwakarma said he was surprised at the persona Jangra presented in the comedy set. "He is not the person I knew," Vishwakarma said [2].

The decision to fire Jangra follows a pattern of companies distancing themselves from employees who become the center of social media storms. In this case, the agency acted not on the basis of job performance or internal policy violations, but on the public perception generated by the Rs 370 [3] remark.

“"He is not the person I knew"”

This situation illustrates the 'morality clause' environment of modern employment, where an individual's off-duty speech can be grounds for termination regardless of their actual job performance. By firing an employee who had no internal misconduct record, Starvik Design prioritized brand protection over employee tenure, reflecting a broader trend of corporate risk aversion in the age of viral content.