Wednesday, March 26, 2014

TV Series 2 - Comedy Nights with Kapil


Only an alien from another planet (and Sonam Kapoor) doesn’t know about Comedy Nights with Kapil. The phenomenal comedy show hit the saas-bahu ridden TV screens like refreshing rains on parched land. Having grown up watching shows like Shrimaan Shrimati and Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, it always irked me that the denizens of Ekta Kapoor’s serials had usurped the idiot box leaving no scope for the genre of light hearted comedy.

To me, Comedy Nights is a unique endeavour because:

1. The Comedy King, Kapil Sharma deserves a bow for single-handedly reviving comedy on Indian Television. And how!! The TRPs have shown no signs of dipping since its beginning. The gig has repetitive elements and still hasn’t lost its charm. The characters are endearing. The CNWK merchandise has sprung up on its own. And the show has a fan base across the world. Such is the undeniable impact of the program, that all television awards have a separate category of awards for comedy to represent the show. Such gems are born when people believe in themselves and the lady luck shines on them for that extra support!

2. It stands witness to the courageous will of a person to do something. Kapil is not the pioneer of the comedy genre. There have been great comedians even before he became popular. But it was his historic initiative to invest his own money - which wouldn’t have been easy considering his humble background - to try something that no one had done before. It is definitely a first. And such things don’t come with a guarantee. And yet, aren’t we all thankful to him for doing this!

3. Comedy Nights has turned out to be such a wonderful avenue for comic talent to showcase itself. Before this show, I don’t think actors with such calibre for comedy had many opportunities to exhibit their talent. And every character on Comedy Nights is such a delight to watch with the endless repertoire of pranks each comes up with. Another awesome phenomenon on the show is men dressed as women. From Ali Asgar to Kiku 
Sharda, it’s hard to believe they aren’t women when they are in character. The boundless energy and talent they bring to the show is almost incredible. Also, with Kapil at its helm, the show acts like a mentor to anyone who aspires to comic brilliance. Even senior artists like Raju Srivastava, who has been a household name has found an avenue to show his talent through the show.

4. Apart from all the great factors that hold the show together, one cant help but keep coming back to the linchpin, Kapil. He is such a fantastic actor himself, playing varied characters with ease. The Punjab cop, Shamshre Paaji to a little innocent kid, a cranky old lady or the beauty parlour wali! He is so well in control of his part on the show that he literally holds the show together. He definitely has a natural flair for comedy and his simplicity is a crowd puller.
 

Comedy Nights and Kapil Sharma has set an unprecedented example in comedy. Anything that comes up in the future can only hope to be a poor imitation of the cult show. People with ailments improve on their symptoms watching the show. Bollywood stars need Comedy Nights to promote their films and not vice versa!

Truly the victory of the common man. And no political pun intended!

More power to Kapil and his entire team!



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