Saturday night is here

Few shows have a richer comic history than SNL. The legendary show launched many successful careers 8212; Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, to name a few. In a politically correct world, SNL stands out for its no-holds-barred humour, taking pot-shots at everyone from the Pope to Hillary Clinton to Mel Gibson. The show has also got celebrities to poke fun at themselves such as the famous episode where Britney Spears came on wearing inflatable breasts, in reaction to rumours that she8217;d had her breasts surgically enhanced.

The typical format of the show features a regular cast of comic actors, joined by a guest host and a musical act. In the past, guest hosts have included Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and Drew Barrymore. The musical acts, both mainstream and breakthrough, have included performers such as Paul Simon, Sting and Jennifer Lopez.

SNL had an audience in India long before VH1 finally decided to bring it here. Says actor and VJ Luke Kenny, 8220;I8217;ve been a fan since the 8216;70s. It is not just about comedy; it also brings acting skills to the fore.8221; VJ Cyrus Sahukar agrees. 8220;I8217;ve been a fan for at least seven-eight years,8221; he says, 8220;It8217;s like an institution in the west 8212;the Harvard or Oxford of comedy; every established comic actor from Jim Carrey to Chris Rock to Adam Sandler has been on SNL.8221;

Ferzad Palia, Associate GM of VH1 India, says that they picked out SNL episodes that would suit the comic palate of the Indian viewer. 8220;We didn8217;t want to air episodes from the 8216;70s and 8216;80s; we were looking for more current content that had a certain topicality for Indian viewers. Also, we needed episodes with musical acts and celebrity hosts who8217;re known in this country. For instance, on Tuesday, we aired an episode that had Ashton Kutcher as the host and Gwen Stefani as the musical act.8221;

The concept of a comedy sketch combined with live music is not new in India. Movers and Shakers, which was based on the formats of SNL and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, proved to be very popular with viewers. But even the peerless mimic Shekhar Suman, known for his spot-on imitations of various political and non-political figures knew where to draw the line. So will SNL, with its irreverent brand of comedy that combines mimicry, risqueacute; jokes and many, many instances of cross-dressing, ever find an Indian avatar?

8220;Definitely,8221; says Kenny, 8220;But only for an English-speaking audience. As for a Hindi version of SNL, I don8217;t think that8217;ll happen anytime soon.8221; Sahukar adds, 8220;I don8217;t see why there can8217;t be an Indian version, since we have some excellent comedians and musicians here. But there are way too many restrictions in our society and people tend to get offended very easily, so it may take many years.8221;

SNL who?

Sting is the only non-American performer to appear as a musical guest at least five times; he has also performed in at least one sketch during each of his performances.

The movies The Blues Brothers, Wayne8217;s World and Wayne8217;s World 2 are film spin-offs of SNL sketches.

Sinead O8217;Connor8217;s October 2, 1992, live performance in which she destroyed a picture of Pope John Paul II was substituted by her dress rehearsal performance from earlier that evening when she held up a picture of a starving African child.

Britney Spears was 18 when she first appeared on the show on May 13, 2000, which makes her the youngest person in SNL history to act as a host and a musical guest at the same time.