The Great Indian Kapil Show first impression: Even Ranbir Kapoor and Gutthi’s reunion couldn’t mask Kapil Sharma’s stale humour

The format of the show remains unchanged – Kapil Sharma playfully ribbing his guests, posing ‘gharelu’ questions to Bollywood stars, while his ensemble cast dons various characters to break the monotony of his tired jokes. In one segment Kiku Sharda, in the guise of Chef Dhaniya Lal, served a glass of water as his signature dish. One can’t help but compare it with the lack of innovation within the show itself.

While it’s understandable that the makers want to lure the young audience and the choice to stream on an OTT platform is part of the plan, the pursuit of relatability seems to overshadow the humour. Unlike the previous shows of the comedian, the writing here felt too self-aware, prioritising market appeal over genuine comic creativity.

Even the comedic sketches, once the hallmark of Kapil’s team, now feel reverse-engineered to cater to contemporary tastes. For instance, Kiku assumes the persona of Sunny Deol from last year’s hit film Gadar 2 and he tries to protect Krushna Abhishek, who channels Bobby Deol’s Abrar, from Ranbir’s Animal gang. While their brief comic skit managed to make me smile, the sound of laughter remained unheard, even to my own ears.

The makers, however, didn’t take the risk of tampering with Sunil Grover’s character. He again cross-dressed on the show, but this time as ‘Dafli’ instead of the famous ‘Gutthi’. While the name changed, the essence of his character remained the same. Keeping up with the past shows, Dafli flirted with Ranbir and even crowned herself ‘Bhabhi No 2’. Triptii Dimri be damned.

Watching Dafli and Ranbir’s romance was undoubtedly a cringe fest but was it funny? The answer may seem straightforward, but allow me to elaborate.

In many ways, The Great Indian Kapil Show reminded me of the TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. While vastly different in content, both serve as staples of middle-class family entertainment. Their humour may not be intellectually stimulating or politically correct for the Vir Das-loving crowd, but it resonates, especially with family audiences. This is the type of show that one might not find funny while watching alone on a laptop screen, but the moment they are watched on a television screen with others, it becomes funny. You find yourself laughing because your family is laughing, and in a peculiar way, these average jokes and outlandish comic skits bind you with that group.

Another factor that adds novelty to Kapil Sharma’s shows is for those rare moments the big Bollywood stars, who remain unapproachable otherwise, become relatable to the masses. For instance, the episode saw the Kapoor family share mundane details about their life. It saw Ranbir and Riddhima discussing their childhood squabbles, fear of their father and late actor Rishi Kapoor, and transformation of a carefree Ranbir into a doting father to Raha. These intimate details might not make headlines but they establish a deep connection with the audience. Imagine Koffee With Karan but instead of Koffee it’s Chai and instead of Karan it’s Kapil.

While the show’s premiere episode may have left some craving a fresher comedic brew, there’s still hope for future episodes to spice things up. Kap’s Cafe will open its doors every Saturday at 8 pm on Netflix.