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Comedy Nights With Kapil

Originally meant to be just 26-episodes long, Comedy Nights With Kapil was extended to 36, then 50 episodes. But as the show gained in popularity, the channel decided to make it an infinite show. Kapil Sharma, the jubilant host of Comedy Nights with Kapil, that recently completed 100 episodes, revealed this at a live performance a week ago.
“It has been an incredibly gratifying journey so far and I have a lot of people to thank for the success of the show,” he says.
Interestingly, nobody thought that the show that took off in June last year would receive so much appreciation from the viewers as well as celebrities who are the star attraction on the show. Some of the actors, have even made multiple appearances to promote their films.
Actor Ali Asgar, disguised as dadi on the show, who has become popular as the serial kisser with his antics, reminisces that when he was initially approached for the show, he had declined it. “My 10-year-old son was tired of seeing me as a woman on-screen. All the offers that I was getting were similar and I did not want to be labelled as a drag queen, so I was wary of taking it up. But after much persuasion I gave in,” says Asgar, who is happy that he took it up and the way his character has been lapped up by the audience.
“All the celebrities who come on the show are aware that I am going to kiss them,” he remarks as he narrates an incident when Sunny Deol came on the show and asked him before the shoot began, “Aap mujhe pappi dogey na?“. “I was surprised and happy at the same time,” says Ali who responded to Deol by saying that, “Agar aap nahi bologey toh nahi lunga.”
“However, Sunny said that we can do whatever we are supposed to do on the show and thus I kissed him without any hesitation,” he recalls as he says that there have been many such incidences with other celebs too. When Amitabh Bachchan came during the release of Bhootnath Returns, Asgar was not sure if he should kiss him considering his seniority, but Bachchan was well aware of Asgar’s sequence in the show and made it easier by coming forward and initiating the kiss.
Similar has been the response to all the other characters in show like Palak, Gutthi, bua played by Kiku Sharda, Sunil Grover and Upasana Singh respectively. In fact, there is such a craze for all these oddball characters that when Grover decided to part ways with the show a few months ago, there was a huge outrage on social media. It wasn’t surprising when the actor received a warm welcome from the audience on making a comeback as Kapil’s father-in-law on the show.
Sharda says that the show besides being a laugh riot was a learning experience for all of them. “We have had a lot of fun shooting, and each episode has its own memorable moments,” says Sharda, who shares his vanity with Ali Asgar and bonds well with him. “We have become a family more than co-actors,” he remarks as he elaborates how Kapil, whom he calls the captain of the show, has been the motivating spirit throughout. “Even when his schedule is packed, he makes it a point to bond with the entire team. For instance, right now when I am also shooting for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, he wants to know about the reality show,” he says.
For the 100th episode shoot in which the star cast of the film Singham Returns was visiting, Sharda was supposed to ride a segway. “Time and again, we keep doing these experiments and they are a lot of fun,” says Sharda, who has donned the character of Palak as well as Palak’s mom, Pankhudi on the show besides a few other characters.
“Shooting every episode has been a task, but a sweet one because at the end of the day it has generated entertaining content. Every moment spent on the sets has been memorable. All my co-actors and co-comedians have been out of this world! We are a bunch of madcaps and our creative collaboration has contributed in making Comedy Nights with Kapil and its characters a household name. My aim is to strike another successful century! In the coming days, we’ll try to spruce up the show with newer themes, newer characters and who knows, even take it outside the boundaries of the sets!” concludes Kapil.