The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 2 Episode 1 review: Kapil Sharma sticks to the same recipe, Krushna Abhishek and Sunil Grover spice it up

Though the show’s format stuck to the tried-and-tested formula, the return of fan favourites Krushna Abhishek and Sunil Grover added much-needed spice, making this season opener an improvement from the last. After Kapil’s stand-up and the talk-show segment—where Alia shared some exclusive details about her family life with daughter Raha and husband Ranbir Kapoor—Sunil Grover entered the frame as Ranbir’s jilted lover, Dufli. His act quickly reminded fans of his past risque moments with Ranbir on the show, bringing back the second-hand embarrassment they once left audiences with. The uneasiness remained in this new episode, but it stung a little less.

However, Sunil Grover quickly redeemed himself with a pitch-perfect portrayal of Shah Rukh Khan. His mimicry was so on point that Krushna Abhishek broke character, playfully asking Sunil not to do it so ‘naturally,’ as it puts pressure on the rest of them to perform. Krushna quipped, “Jitna paisa mile utna kar (Act according to the money you receive),” leaving the audience in splits.

While there’s no denying Sunil’s acting prowess, Krushna stole the show with his improvisation, gags and self-aware humour. When Vasan Bala looked confused after Krushna’s entry as Gully Boy’s Safina, he quickly clarified, saying he was playing a duplicate Alia, which is why the humour was also second-hand. Kiku Sharda also scored laughs impersonating Alia’s Gangubai character, although the sketch ended awkwardly, with Sunil clearly forgetting his lines.

The funniest and wittiest part of the show, however, wasn’t delivered by Kapil Sharma or his teammates but during a segment where Kapil pulled up hilarious comments from Alia and the others’ Instagram photos. The sharp humour of the trolls truly stole the show.

By the end of the mostly funny hour-long episode, Alia Bhatt reenacted her famous Raazi dialogue, “Mujhe ghar jana hai (I want to go home),” with Karan Johar chiming in, “Mujhe bhi (Me too),” serving as the perfect cue to wrap up the show.