ITV

Tag: Comedy Nights with Kapil

  • Star Plus’ new finite series ‘Gulmohar Grand’ to launch on 3 May

    Star Plus’ new finite series ‘Gulmohar Grand’ to launch on 3 May

    MUMBAI: Star Plus is all set to launch a new series revolving around the hotel industry. Called Gulmohar Grand, the finite series will be of 26 episodes, wherein each episode will have a different story.

     

    The show is slated to launch on Star Plus on 3 May. The weekly show will be aired every Sunday at 10 pm.

     

    Giving an insight into the world of a Five Star hotel, Gulmohar Grand will not only showcase the glamorous and luxurious world of hotels but also gives an insight in the world of hotels in a way that has never been seen before on Indian television.

     

    Produced by Sunshine Productions, the show stars Gaurav Chopraa and Aakansha Singh in the lead role and is being shot in a hotel in Mumbai.

     

    Sunshine Productions’ Sudhir Sharma said, “When you shoot in a live environment, you get to learn a lot of things about what’s happening in the real world and therefore, it is easier than creating a set for it. Following a certain schedule also has its cons, but since the hotel is functional, the benefits are much more. Even if we would have built a set, we could not have brought the kind of live environment that the current hotel is giving us.”

     

    The show is going to face a tough competition with DID Super Moms on Zee TV, Savdhaan India on Life OK, Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors, CID on Sony and Yam Hain Hum on Sab. 

  • ‘Dancing Star 2’: number one show in Karnataka

    ‘Dancing Star 2’: number one show in Karnataka

    MUMBAI: ETV Kannada is ruling the weekend primetime slots between 8 pm to 10.30 pm with the launch of its two new shows Majaa Talkies and Dancing Star 2.

     

     Following the success of Dancing Star in its first season, ETV Kannada introduced the second season of the reality show on popular demand. Opening with 1.1 million TVTs, the show emerged at the top in Karnataka. This is the first show in Kannada mass entertainment in 2015 that has garnered peak ratings in its very first week according to the channel.

     

    The show features 12 celebrity contestants in the battle for survival as the last couple on the dance floor. Judging the celebrity dance contest are Kanasugara Ravichandran, Priyamani, and choreographer MayuriUpadhyaya. Taking forward the legacy from season one, Akul Balaji hosts this edition of the show as well.

     

    Dancing Star 2 airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm to 10.30pm on ETV Kannada.

     

    Majaa Talkies, headlined by veteran anchor and comedian Srujan Lokesh, emerged as the slot leader in the 8 pm to 9 pm slot with 0.8 million TVTs opening. The show is an adaptation of the popular Comedy Nights With Kapil, tailored to suit viewing preferences of the Kannadiga.

     

    Elaborating on the same Viacom18 EVP and project head regional channels ETV Kannada/ Bangla and Odiya Ravish Kumar said, “After the success of the first season of Dancing Star, we are overjoyed and humbled by the response that the show has received for its second edition. Majaa Talkies has performed superlatively as well and we hope to keep raising the bar of Kannada entertainment in the future.”

     

    ETV Kannada business head Parameshwar Gundkal added, “For the first time ever in this market, two high impact nonfiction properties have been launched in back to back time slots with the vision of creating high octane entertainment that will cater to people of varied viewing tastes. From the best talent on-board, to some of the best production houses for both seasons, we are glad that our efforts have yielded the appreciation showered upon us by the viewers.”

  • YouTube 2014 Rewind: Year of Bollywood stars

    YouTube 2014 Rewind: Year of Bollywood stars

    MUMBAI: 2014 is winding up and YouTube has already given us its top trending videos of the year in India. Videos that people chose to watch repeatedly, shared and made them the most popular ones of the lot.
    This year seemed to be the year of Bollywood celebrities, embracing YouTube as a means to connect with fans, do something madcap and establish their positions as youth icons. Whether it was the ice bucket challenges or film promotional strategies, celebrities have greatly benefited from YouTube in 2014!

    Taking the top spot with over 8.8 million views is the episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil which featured sultry adult movie star Sunny Leone and producer Ekta Kapoor promoting Ragini MMS 2. Not surprisingly, Leone’s music video “Baby Doll” is also graded by YouTube as the top trending Indian music video of 2014 with nearly 40 million views. 

    Alia Bhatt made a stellar debut on YouTube this year when she paired up with All India Bakchod (AIB) and made the hysterical “Genius of the Year” mockumentary which garnered over 6.8 million views. That is not all – Bhatt’s unplugged version of “Samjhawan” highlighted her singing capabilities and increased curiosity for the film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. The video was watched by more than 16 million people.


    Closely following Bhatt and Leone’s popularity meter on YouTube is Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. As part of the promotion for his upcoming movie ‘Bang Bang’, actor Hrithik Roshan dared Singh to a challenge on the streets of Mumbai. In his usual feisty spirit, Singh danced to the popular “Main Aisa Kyon Hoon” in the Krissh get up.  His fanatical “Bang Bang Dare” video acquired over 3 million views.  
    2014 also saw innovative and effective content that sought to entertain the audience while at the same time, sending out valuable messages to the viewers. For instance, Nestlé India’s “Good food, Good Life” advertisement, which ranks in the top 10 trending videos of India with over 6 million views, is truly a moving commercial that teaches us the joy of sharing. The public service announcement video entitled “SeatBelt Crew” received close to 4.7 million views.  The unique concept featured a group of transgenders delivering a lesson in safe driving that motorists will carry for the rest of their lives.


    Independent video creators like The Viral Fever and AIB, also took YouTube by storm this year with their spoof parodies and original content.  Their popular videos “Bollywood Aam Aadmi Party – Arnab’s Qtiyapa” and “Nayak2: The Common Man Rises” attracted over 4 million and 3 million views respectively.


    Other trending YouTube videos In India include Aap Ki Adalat’s episode feature Narendra Modi with over 4 million views, “Lion shows tourists why you must stay inside your car”, “Top 50 English Nursery Rhymes” and “Wheels on the Bus”. Amongst the music videos, “Chaar Botal Vodka” featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh takes the second most popular spot with over 28 million views. This is followed by “Tu Meri” from the movie Bang Bang, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Zaroori Tha”, “Yaar Naa Miley” from Kick, “Tune Maari Entriyaan” from Gunday and “Jumme Ki Raat” from Kick.

  • I am looking at large strategic partnerships, says Jaideep Singh

    I am looking at large strategic partnerships, says Jaideep Singh

    MUMBAI: A new mobile handset brand, Vivo, is set to enter the Indian market. And helping it have a presence in the already cluttered mobile market space in the country is the two year old Viacom18 Integrated Network Solutions (INS).

     

    Both Vivo and INS have forged a strategic marketing and communications partnership. “Through this partnership we are giving them all the services required to launch their brand in India. This includes advising them in the first phase about the youth insight, the media market of the country and the overall brand space,” informs Viacom18 Media INS senior vice president Jaideep Singh.

     

    Since the audience the handset is catering to is the same as that of Viacom18, INS will also select the right broadcasts and the right digital social media platform which Vivo can choose from the Viacom18 portfolio. “We have some of the best brands and properties to target them,” adds Singh.

     

    So how did INS bag the partnership? Answers Singh, “Well, in a phased manner, we did an exercise with Vivo, which involved making them understand the insights about youth, then profiling all the assets we have, from broadcast to live to digital and social media and then creating a package for them, telling what it will take to launch a brand in India.”

     

    As for the marketing strategy of the new brand, INS has created a package, which is a mix of broadcast, live, digital, social media, PR communication, media planning services and a big brand launch event.

     

    This apart, all the creative ideas to be used and executed through the launch is what INS is working on. Singh informs that the deal with Vivo is a long term one and this is just the first phase. “The first phase is till June-July and we are working on it. The discussion of the phase post July is ongoing and we will come up with a plan for that,” he says.

     

    As part of the first phase, INS will be promoting the brand through properties like ‘Roadies’, ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’, ‘MTV Bollyland’ etc. It is also exploring other fun ideas on the digital front. “We will also be creating the TVC for the brand,” informs Singh adding that currently it will use the global TVC of Vivo, since there is not too much time before the big launch. “But as we move forward, the TVC will also be created by Viacom18,” he says.  

     

    INS has got a dedicated team to service Vivo. This comprises digital experts, marketing experts, creative experts and operations experts for ground activations. “It is a sizable team, which has been taken both internally as well as externally from the partners we work with,” he adds.

     

    According to Singh, the deal with Vivo helps the company leverage its consultancy services and in-house strong marketing capabilities for launching a brand in India. “A deal like this also opens up a new avenue for us in terms of having long term strategic partner, rather than trying to find many small partners on regular basis,” he says.  

     

    “I am looking at large strategic partnerships which will be of sizable ticket size and covers the sizable assets we have on the network and create more assets,” Singh further adds.

     

    So what’s the marketing budget for the handset? Says Singh, “Vivo is a major brand in China with 8 per cent market share. Presently the size of the marketing activities is substantial, but as we go in the second phase, it will be equal to the scale of any major handset in the country.”  

     

    Singh also informs that while as a digital strategy for Viacom18’s large content library, it will be looking at being present on multiple handsets, but currently there is no such arrangement on exclusive content sharing with Vivo. “They could have access to content on the properties they are partnering with us. The content partnership can happen in the later stage. It is the core to our heart and can be explored,” he further adds.  

     

    Talking about the integrations, Singh says that as part of the soft play, while integration with ‘Roadies’ has already started, the TVC will break in end of December and ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’ will begin  from January.

     

    INS is positive about the feedback the new entrant will get from the consumers in India. “The brand film is looking good and so is the product. From the Chinese market perspective it would be the best product to enter the market. Once the film comes out and the product is integrated and the features are shown, the brand will have an appeal,” he opines.

  • Finding Fanny fun on Comedy Nights With Kapil

    Finding Fanny fun on Comedy Nights With Kapil

    MUMBAI: In a first time on Comedy Nights With Kapil, comedian Kapil Sharma enacted a dream sequence, singing ‘Paani Da’ where he imagined the dream girl of Gen Next Deepika Padukone wherever he looked and lo and behold! Deepika actually appeared in front of his eyes – accompanied by her Finding Fanny co-star Arjun Kapoor.

     

    Unfortunately for Arjun, his entry had him see Palak everywhere! “It’s not a dream to see palak everywhere! It’s a nightmare!” said the funny Kapoor. We don’t blame him – Palak went ahead to proclaim that she wanted to marry him!

     

    Luckily for him, Deepika had tricks up her sleeve to cheer up his day. In spite of Kapil being at his flirtatious best on the show (Note: He sang a made up version of a Hindi song for Dips… ‘Fanny Re’), Deepika went ahead and placed a kiss on heartthrob Arjun’s cheek. Poor Kapil!

     

    As a celebrity, quirky fan requests are normal. Arjun did not look shocked when a fan asked him to repair Kapil’s old Kinetic Luna and actually even obliged. Unfortunately, for the hottie, he failed and ended up making Dips and Kapil sit on the Luna while he pushed them around! We’re sure that made Kapil’s day!

     

    Other fun moments included Daadi and Gutthi dressing up as Dimple Kapadia and doing a ‘hot’ number on the song ‘Shake your bootiya’. So hot were they that Arjun and Deepika could not resist and had to join in! Arjun and Deepika also learnt to jive on the show!

     

    Click here for Slideshow

  • GECs go patriotic this Independence Day!

    GECs go patriotic this Independence Day!

    MUMBAI: With a long weekend stretching ahead, Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) don’t want to miss the opportunity to keep people inside their homes. Come 15 August, along with the whole of India, GECs will also celebrate the 68th Independence Day.

     

    Commemorating the upcoming Independence Day, Colors has planned a special two-hour recorded event titled Jashn-E-Azaadi that will display India’s rich culture from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

     

    A dose of humour will be given by popular comedian Kapil Sharma with gags and parody by the entire cast of Comedy Nights with Kapil (CNWK). Along with the CNWK cast, other artists who will be seen performing on the latkas and jhatkas are Eijaz Khan, Sophie Chowdhry, Karan Wahi, Dadi as dadi,  Vishal Singh (representing Punjab), Rashmi Desai, Shakti Mohan (representing UP), Karishma Tanna (representing Gujarat) and Akshat (representing South). It will air twice on Independence day- 1pm to 3pm and from 5pm to 7pm.

     

    Apart from the special event, the theme of I-Day will be reflected in Balika Vadhu also, where Shiv will save the CM who’s going to be assassinated through a ticker bomb at an Inauguration ceremony held on 15 August.

     

    Talking about Sony Entertainment Television, it will celebrate Independence Day on 15 August and 16 August at 10pm. A special episode of its oldest and highest rated properties – CID will show a terrorist attack.

     

    Talking about Star Plus’s sister channel Life OK, it will celebrate the flavor of Independence with Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan on the very famous Life OK Now Awards. With Independence as the central theme, viewers will see some spectacular performances by some of the biggest names in Bollywood and television. The anchors for the evening Chintu aka Sunil Grover and Varun Sharma, will keep everyone in splits with their gags and comic timing.

     

    The audience will get to witness some power packed performances that wont only kept them entertained, but also brought out the spirit of patriotism. Actors who will perform include Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Arya, Esha Gupta, Prateek and Sneha.

     

    While media planners says that channels witness a 10-15 per cent hike in their revenues during special occasions like Holi, Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day, for Independence Day, channels which have a special line up plan earn some extra bucks, but regular programming does not see a huge shift or hike in the revenues.

  • Life OK back to number three

    Life OK back to number three

    MUMBAI: There is no looking back, believes Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur. In the week 26 of TAM TV ratings, the channel has hit a jackpot again. It overtook Colors and secured the third position by registering 358,113 GVTs, up from last week’s 332,990 GVTs.

     

    So what worked for Life OK, this time? It is its fictional properties which saw a rise in the ratings. Thus, Gustakh Dil noted 2,184 TVTs, up from 1,829 TVTs, Adventures of Hatim recorded 2,116 TVTs, up from 1,825 TVTs. Savdhaan India registered 2,595 TVTs, up from 2,264 TVTs.

     

    On the other hand, Colors at number four scored 351,407 GVTs, down from 351,470 GVTs. It has been a roller coaster ride for the channel’s fiction properties. Thus, Meri Ashiqui marked at 2,867 TVTs, up from 2,655 TVTs, Balika Vadhu gathered 4,379 TVTs, down from 4,473 TVTs and Rangrasiya noted 2,299 TVTs, up from 2,124 TVTs. Talking about the channel’s non-fiction properties, Comedy Nights with Kapil turns out to be a winner as it saw a slight rise in the viewership and scored 5,942 TVTs, up from 5,853 TVTs while Jhalak Dikhlaja witnessed a drop and noted 3,698 TVTs, down from 4,135 TVTs.

     

    Despite a fall, Star Plus continues to be the chart leader as it scored 659,904 GVTs, down from 660,737 GVTs. Diya Aur Baati Hum continued to be the audience’s favourite show with 9,178 TVTs, up from 8,953 TVTs. The channel’s mythological series Mahabharat also observed a huge hike in the viewership as it scored 6,686 TVTs, up from 6,367 TVTs and Ye Hai Mohababtein garnered 6,007 TVTs, up from 5,712 TVTs.

     

    Zee TV continues to hold on to its number two ranking with 423,066 GVTs, up from 400,337 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Jodha Akbar seems to lose its eyeballs as it scored 7,254 TVTs, down from 7,664 TVTs. Meanwhile, Kumkum Bhagya scored 5,436 TVTs, up from 4,942 TVTs and Qubool Hai stood at 4,804 TVTs, up from 4,402 TVTs.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television (SET) at number five recorded 348,733 GVTs, up from 297,528 GVTs. Maharana Veer Pratap witnessed a gain and scored 3,700 TVTs, up from 3,341 TVTs and Ek Nai Pehchan registered 1,408 TVTs, up from 1,336 TVTs.

     

    Sab at number six garnered 279,874 GVTs, up from 279,412 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Tarak Mehta scored 6,895 TVTs, down from 7,034 TVTs. Its latest offering Badi Door se Aaye Hai noted 2,634 TVTs, down from 2,659 TVTs.

  • Star Plus, Zee TV & Life OK gain big

    Star Plus, Zee TV & Life OK gain big

    MUMBAI: The war for the ‘best among the rest’ continues even as the general entertainment channels (GECs) saw no change in the positions this week. In the week 25 of TAM TV ratings, while Star Plus, Zee TV and Life OK gained big, the other GECs saw a drop in the viewership.

     

    Thus, Star Plus continues to be at the top with 660,737 GVTs, up from 625,842 GVTs. The channel’s mythological series Mahabharat witnessed a slight drop and stood at 6,368 TVTs, down from 6,472 TVTs. Its fiction offerings also noticed a drop in the viewership. Thus, its chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum recorded 8,953 TVTs, down from 9,361 TVTs, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai noted 6,087 TVTs, down from 6,185 TVTs. But that wasn’t the case with Saathiya Saath which saw a huge jump and scored 8,149 TVTs, up from 6,856 TVTs.

     

    Second placed Zee registers 400,337 GVTs, up from 375,662 GVTs. Its historic property Jodha Akbar scored 7,664TVTs, down from 7,736TVTs. Kumkum Bhagya saw a rise in the ratings and registered 4,943 TVTs, up from 3,538 TVTs. Qubool Hai garnered 4,402 TVTs, up from 3,791 TVTs.

     

    Despite a fall, Colors retained its number three position with 351,470 GVTs, down from 365,827 GVTs. Its first-of-its-kind property, Mission Sapne which allows celebrities from different walks of life to leverage their fame for the benefit of the common man, saw a drop in the ratings this week. It scored 1,668 TVTs, down from 2,836 TVTs. On the other hand, Comedy Nights with Kapil witnessed a jump in the viewership with 5,854 TVTs, up from 5,582 TVTs. Talking about the channel’s fiction offerings; Balika Vadhu saw a rise in the ratings and noted 4,473 TVTs, up from 3,938 TVTs.

     

    Life OK at number four witnessed 332,990 GVTs, up from 319,452 GVTs. Gustakh Dil scored 1,829 TVTs, down from 2,019 TVTs, Tumhari Pakhi noted 2,348 TVTs, down from 2,515 TVTs. The channel’s non-fiction properties Shapath garnered 2,676 TVTs, up from 2,510 TVTs.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television (SET) saw a fall in the ratings and garnered 297,528 GVTs, down from 300,118 GVTs. Maharan Veer Pratap recorded 3,148 TVTs, down from 3,341 TVTs. Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega also witnessed a fall and registered 2,085 TVTs, down from 2,222 TVTs. CID stood at 3,341 TVTs, down from 3,411 TVTs.

     

    Sab at number six garnered 279,412 GVTs, down from 286,993 GVTs. Its fiction offerings have worked well for the channel. Thus, the channel’s chart topper Tarak Mehta scored 7,034 TVTs, up from 6,159 TVTs and Chidiya Ghar registered 2,777 TVTs, up from 2,448 TVTs.

  • Kapil Sharma creates a laugh riot on FB

    Kapil Sharma creates a laugh riot on FB

    MUMBAI: The hugely popular laugh riot has now gone beyond making a mark on television. We’re talking of Colors’ top-rated non-fiction show Comedy Nights with Kapil (CNWK) which on the eve of 22 May registered a record 10 million fans on facebook.

    Launched soon after CNWK’s on-air launch in July 2013, the show’s facebook page has seen phenomenal growth with over 80,000 fans getting added every 24 hours.

     In the words of Kapil Sharma, creator-producer-host of CNWK, his hobby of making people laugh has grown into flourishing content on TV and social media. “Though we keep hearing people saying how much they love our show but to see it in a number as big as 10 million sends out a loud message to us. In successful collaboration with the Colors team and with continued support from our fans, my little hobby of making people laugh has grown into a flourishing content on television, one that I will strive harder to better even further,” says an elated Sharma.

    The show has a strong male skew with 70 per cent of fans being men and 41 per cent of overall fans being men aged 18 to 24 years. Be it posters of Sharma or other characters like Palak and Didi or typical Sharma jokes or wisecracks by his wacky on-screen family, these get shared about 10,000 times and generate more than 1.5 lakh likes.

    Ask him about the show’s digital strategy and Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava says: “The strategy has largely evolved around engagement. We used jokes and contests for creating engagement with digital audiences. It’s a tough battle because the show comes twice a week and the page has to be decked up every day. So therefore, even if you have to update the page once a day, it must be relevant and engaging every day and make sense day after day.”

    Social media is handled by an in-house team of four members, he informs.

     Replying to a question about what has clicked with Facebook followers, Srivastava answers: “From a content stand point, we have really tried to explore relationships and get humor out of different situations. So whether it was a mother and son relationship, husband and wife relationship or servant and master relationship, we have taken humour to a completely new level.”

    To mark the occasion and ensure even greater participation, the channel had started a contest which starts with the question, ‘Want to be a part of the ’10 Million Likes’ celebration on Comedy Nights with Kapil?, egging on fans to mail their best photographs to colorstv.fans@gmail.com to see themselves on the cover picture of the CNWK facebook page.

    Colors had also created a countdown app which got activated the moment the facebook page hit 9900,000 fans. Upon crossing the 10 million mark, video messages by Kapil, Palak, Daadi, Sumona and Navjyot Singh Sidhu were posted to acknowledge the undying love of CNWK fans across the globe which made this achievement possible.

    “Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who ‘likes’ our page and shares our content with their friends. It’s a signal of approval from the viewers on social media all across the globe that we are creating a product which people love to watch not only on TV but also consume it on other digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and mobile apps,” says Sharma.

    While on other digital platforms, on YouTube, CNWK is the most popular show on Colors since it was first launched with a single episode of the show posted on YouTube receiving about 1.8 million views on an average. On Twitter, most key characters like Sharma, Kiku Sharda (Palak) and Sidhu have witnessed a phenomenal increase in number of followers since the launch of the show. CNWK itself has 1 lakh followers on Twitter. The CNWK mobile application witnesses an average of 1.5 lakh downloads every month, enabling consumption of not only full episodes but also episodic mini-clips.

    While 10 million fans implies that CNWK is popular not only across the Indian subcontinent but also around the world, what is next on the cards?

     “The special thing would be to keep the momentum on and obviously goals will differ. Today, we are at 10 million; hopefully, we will aim for 20 million. So it is not really about the number of fans but engagement. As long as engagement levels are high, we think we would have done the job. As long as we keep entertaining the viewers, these milestones will automatically come through,” concludes Srivastava.

  • This one’s the Gags Gang!

    This one’s the Gags Gang!

    MUMBAI: One – a gritty drama around the coal mafia of Dhanbad has nothing to do with the other – a laughter riot cooked up by television’s funnies.

     

    We’re talking about Zee TV’s first-of-its-kind ‘variety’ comedy show titled Gangs of Hasseypur  which promises to tickle your funny bone and bears no resemblance whatsoever to its cerebral namesake – Anurag Kashyap’s critically acclaimed film, Gangs of Wasseypur.

     

    As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, Gangs of Hasseypur is slated for an April 26 premiere on Zee TV. So, at 8:00 pm every Saturday and Sunday, viewers will be treated to a mish-mash of hasya kavis making them laugh at everyday issues or stand-up comics unraveling the real faces behind the big names in cinema, sports and politics.

     

    Be it the unending speculation over superstar Salman Khan’s bachelor (should we say virgin) status or something as everyday as rising prices, the show will see comedians like Raju Shrivastav and Suresh Menon leaving the audience in splits with their witty punches and comic timing. Actor-comic Bharti Singh will add her own brand of madness while divas Mandira Bedi and Tanishaa Mukherjee will step in as Hasseypur ki Haseenayein, upping the show’s glam quotient. Gorgeous and witty Ragini Khanna will host the show. Dabur Glucose-D will be the title sponsor.

     

    Pankaj Saraswat of Laughter Challenge fame will helm this laugh-a-thon as creative director. He says that the show was conceptualized in just 15 days. With the shoot having begun not very long ago on April 14, four episodes have been canned already.

     

    Asked if the jokes on issues ranging from inflation to the serial lack of trust in politicians will be taken in the right spirit, Saraswat says: “We are not attacking anyone personally. We are talking about things that are known to everyone. Everybody knows that Narendra Modi’s wife’s issue has come up suddenly. Everybody knows that Aam Aadmi Party chief got slapped. We don’t have any personal agenda and are not politically biased against anyone. It is more socio-political.”

     

    Referring to a joke about “Neil Nitin Mukesh is menghai ke zamane me teen naam leke chal raha hai” in the show, Saraswat explains: “It is comedy; we are not making the show to hurt anyone’s sentiments. It is not below the belt. We have got a lot of different elements in the show. It is not just stand-up comedians coming, throwing jokes and going but it has got more meat to it like interactive sessions, panel discussions and much more.”

     

    What was it like with the production team having been given just 15 days to put the show together? “We brainstormed on the idea internally and I gave Pankaj a call and threw a bomb saying let’s shoot in the next two weeks. He has his pool of comedians, he knows them, and he knows how to utilize their talents in the best way. And he did it and we would like to improve on what we have done and I am sure the audience is going to just love it,” answers Zee TV programming head, Namit Sharma.

     

    Sharma was confident that the concept would be bang on in an election season in a country where there aren’t too many platforms to showcase comic talent. “If you look at the English comedy, they allow young talent to grow. We have not created enough platforms for comic talent to grow. So I am very keen to do that,” he says.

     

    Going by industry sources, the show costs are anywhere between Rs 15 and Rs 20 lakh per episode.

     

    A media expert opined that the channel has also got the slot timing right for this show. “The channel has made a safe move by not airing the show during a latter slot which has some of the best shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, Mad In India and Comedy Nights with Kapil,” he says. “The show will get a  thumbs up as far as viewership is concerned, because people who are bored of watching daily soaps have an option to switch to Zee for the new content.”

     

    Despite the competition, Sharma believes that good content always work on television. “There are so many daily soaps that work across channels despite competition. On the same slot many shows work sometimes, so why non-fiction should be treated any differently? People like laughing; then why not?” he says. “It is really difficult to shoot such shows and I am nervous as hell about audience reaction. However, we are trying and we hope it works.”