No more laughs for Comedy Nights with Kapil

So, Comedy Nights with Kapil is going off the air. As per reports, Kapil Sharma, the comedian who helms the show, is miffed at the publicity Colors, the channel on which his show runs, has showered on another new show, Comedy Nights Bachao. There are unconfirmed reports that Kapil might take his show to Star. While that may work in Kapil’s favour, Colors remains top real estate for new content on Indian TV, so any which way, the news does not look good for Kapil. 

Comedy Nights Bachao, which started only this September, has notched up impressive ratings in its short span. Based on the roast format, the show invites celebrities and pokes mostly vegetarian fun on them. (No one wants to mess with powers that be after what happened to Karan Johar and Co at the AIB roast.) Yet, the show is not bad at all, the jokes land well, and celebs, notwithstanding the grand egos common to our A-listers, partake happily in the fun.

In recent weeks, the show has hosted Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and a host of other stars looking to plug their releases. Kapil’s show, which is more in the format of improvisational comedy, also has a celebrity component built into each episode, so it is natural that he is peeved at Comedy Nights Bachao appropriating his turf. It does not help that both shows command the premium weekend prime time band.

If he does away with his show altogether, Kapil could use the extra time to ramp up his film career. His first film, this year’s Kiss Kiss ko Pyar Karoon, performed poorly at the box office but created enough buzz to give him the confidence to make another attempt. While he has not signed another film yet, reports indicate that he is keen to produce a film of his own, a comedy with him in the lead, of course. 

His popularity remains beyond doubt, part of which may be attributed to his personal appeal and lack of airs. When Sunil Grover’s attempt to build a solo show out of his character Gutthi did not work, Kapil welcomed him back on to the show. For all that, though, Kapil’s brand of humour is crass and often misogynistic. On the show, he plays Bittu, a no-good fellow with an equally useless family: a drunkard dadi, a dreamy bua and a tough-talking manservant. Most of the humour is either physical or clichéd, such as Bittu’s constant efforts to prove what a nagging wife he has. Yet, the audience which includes Navjot Singh Sidhu as a permanent guest is in splits. 

When stars come on the show, they participate in the proceedings as guests of the family, in a watered down reprisal of The Kumars at Number 42. However, Kapil’s show is no intelligent comedy like its supposed forebear. Ranbir Kapoor played a roadside Casanova when he came to plug Tamasha, which was as far from his character in the film as is possible. Ranveer Singh looked like he dropped his marbles on his way to the studio. The jokes are stale and the comedy is forced. 

Some of the best comedy on Indian television is recent times has been on Comedy Circus, the stand-up competition that ran for several seasons on Sony. Nearly every major comedian on TV today started from that show, including Kapil, Bharti and Krishna (the latter two helm Comedy Nights Bachao). Due to the competitive nature of that show, the gags were fresh and the show benefitted tremendously from the infectious personality of its judge, Archana Puran Singh. Now with everyone working on fixed contracts and the comedy scene closely aligned with celebrity promotion, some of that spontaneous humour is lost. 

It is worth wondering if Kapil’s beef is not just with Colors but with the fact that a show peopled by his rivals is doing so well. From Bharti and Krishna to Sudesh and Shakeel, nearly everyone on Comedy Nights Bachao is a Comedy Circus alum. This is a motley group each of whom is as talented as the next artist, and yet only Kapil has truly hit the big league.

January 17 is when the final episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil will run on Colors. Whether the show will move to another channel, and if it does, whether it will continue to be popular is anyone’s guess. That said, Kapil Sharma’s popularity will ensure that he will continue to be on our screens doing something goofy even if it does not always ring in the laughs.