The Kapil Sharma ‘Horror’ Show

While we all laugh our heart out as we watch The Kapil Sharma Show (or earlier, Comedy Nights with Kapil), it is no laughing matter as to what happens on or off the camera in these shows. It, kind of, encapsulates what’s wrong with us as a country.

DISCRIMINATION

My wife was hugely excited when a friend invited her to be part of the live audience for an episode. Her excitement was short-lived. They were told to report at 12 noon but were made to wait for 5 hours, standing in an enclosed space, without anything to eat or drink. Yes, not even water! And no loos (Double !!). After the grueling inhuman wait, they were trudged, like prisoners, into the set. During the entire shoot they weren’t offered anything to eat or drink while the guests of the show were treated like royalty as they were offered back to back refreshments and shawls.

SEXISM

The audience were made to sit at various places based on their looks and clothes; the good-looking ones, in the eyes of the organizers, were ‘strategically’ seated basis the camera angles especially around Archana Pooran Singh. Not sure what is her contribution to the show apart from getting insulted non-stop by almost all characters on the show. Just like millions of employees in various companies, she is happy to take it all till she is getting handsomely (pun unintended) paid for it. She is frequently called a ‘mard’ (man) basis her large size, as if all men were huge and that all women should be slim and petite! Look around. One couldn’t be more wrong.

Male actors frequently portray female characters, from Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar, Kiku Sarda, Chandan Prabhakar all the way to Krushna Abhishek only for the purpose of misbehaving with them and insulting & ill-treating them (the women) in the garb of comedy.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION

These days there is a growing demand from the performing artists about copyrights on their creations. What could be worse than the blatant stealing of someone’s personal experience by the same artists? At the shoot, my wife was asked if she had any interesting experience to share from any of her five-star hotel stays. She excitedly told the organizers only to be shocked to hear the same being voiced verbatim by someone else on camera.  

BODY SHAMING

The only jokes that Kapil Sharma could think of are to do with insulting other characters looks & appearance. There is rampant shaming of Chandan’s face, Kiku’s obesity and Sumona’s lips. He doesn’t stop at the characters and frequently insults the people in the audience on their shape, size, skin colour & looks.

RICH & POOR DIVIDE

Another common thread of ‘jokes’ are to do with what rich people and poor people do with respect to various aspects of life. He further insults the destitute by often calling himself ‘poor’ when he had the temerity to tweet that he paid Rs 15 crore tax in a particular year.

It is horrifying to watch such ugly, nonsensical, crass and inhuman act in the name of ‘comedy’. Should be called a ‘Horror Show’ instead.