Archana Puran Singh recalls being asked to laugh on comedy show after learning about mother-in-law’s death: ‘Everything went dark’

The Great Indian Kapil Show features Archana Puran Singh as a permanent guest. While many may argue that Archana doesn’t have a substantial role on the show, she often elevates dull moments with her infectious laughter. However, it isn’t easy for her to bring her best to such shows, especially when facing a family emergency. In a recent interaction, the actor recalled a tough situation on a comedy show where she was expected to laugh and be cheerful despite just learning about her mother-in-law’s death.

Speaking to Instant Bollywood, Archana said, “There was a comedy show, and I think we had shot half of the episode when I got the news that my mother-in-law had passed away. I told them that I had to go, but they asked me to just sit through the show. I laughed and imagined, in my head, what is going on now that my mother-in-law had just died. I don’t know how I laughed. After spending 30–40 years in this industry, you know the producer’s money is invested in this. You can’t leave your work incomplete. My husband also understood. Everything went dark, I couldn’t see anything; they just said ‘action,’ and I laughed and laughed. I thought, who would have such a fate that they had to laugh even after hearing such news… but the show must go on.”

Earlier, in another interaction with Siddharth Kannan, Archana Puran Singh discussed her role as a permanent guest on The Great Indian Kapil Show and revealed that she earns half of what the other cast members make. During this conversation, the show’s other cast member, Kiku Sharda, was asked if he feels bad about putting in so much effort while Archana gets paid for just sitting and laughing. Archana quickly clarified, “Paise ye log double le jate hai. Toh sahi hai na, mehnat karo bhai. (These people earn double the money, so they must do the hard work). I’m getting paid to laugh, and they’re getting paid for their hard work.”

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The latest episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show featured the cast of Devara—Janhvi Kapoor, Jr NTR, and Saif Ali Khan—as guests. The episode is currently streaming on Netflix.