‘Can count them on fingers’: Archana Puran Singh on comedians in Indian cinema

In an engaging exclusive conversation with Mathrubhumi, Archana Puran Singh, Rajiv Thakur and Krushna Abhishek shared insights into their hilarious world during their Indore visit promoting 'The Great Indian Kapil Show'. They delved into the show's soaring popularity, comic actors in India and personal anecdotes, offering a glimpse into the creative minds behind the laughter-filled phenomenon.

Read excerpts:

Q. Moving from television, how has the popularity of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ increased on Netflix?

Krushna: Popularity has increased more over the seasons. I have a house in Los Angeles. I keep traveling every four months. Whenever I went to LA, I would meet a lot of Indians. Some channels are available in some countries, some are not. Whenever you would meet the foreigners there, they would be like, ‘Oh, you’re an Indian actor? Which films have you done?’ Their first question used to be, ‘Are you on Netflix?’ Now, whenever we go out, or meet a Hollywood actor, we shake hands and say, ‘You can watch us on Netflix’.

As soon as a series comes on Netflix, like 'Hiramandi', all of its seven-eight episodes are released together. This is the only show on Netflix for which the platform’s format has been changed. Every week they publicize the episode like television and release it. Imagine how important this property must be for Netflix.

Rajiv: The best thing is that every episode is promoted equally.

Q. Have there been moments where you got offended by each other’s jokes?

Rajiv: The thing is that we have been working together for so many years that it is confirmed that no one is saying anything to demean or hurt the other person. We are saying it so that the people who are watching us are enjoying it.. They (audience) are laughing and they are getting happy. So that is all that is said. I don't think that now there is anything left between us that can hurt either of us.

Q. Are you worried about how the jokes may land with the celebrity guests?

Krushna: See, an actor is very smart about whether he should say a particular line or not. Sometimes we either get a line cut or sometimes the team tells us that no, this will be too much. So, we take great care of that respect for our guests because it is our house and our guests have come to our home.

Rajiv: We never say anything to the guests. If we say anything, we say it among ourselves. Archana ji is a very big celebrity for us. If we have to say something to a celebrity, we say it to her.

Ever since this show has come, you will notice that not even a single line that is disrespectful towards any celebrity is said in front of them. I started doing ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ regularly after many years. What used to happen earlier is that we would say anything. But now, whenever we start speaking about something that might tick off someone, Kapil (Sharma) himself cuts us off. He has so much experience now.

Archana: Which celebrity is there who does not watch or show? In fact, there must be some people in the general public who do not watch it, but our entire film fraternity watches it. And they come on the show knowing the nature of this show. If they were insulted here, then why would they come on our show?

Q. How much improvisation happens while you’re shooting the episode?

Archana: We shoot live with the audience. We have only one take on stage. It is not like we are shooting the same thing 2-3 times.

Krushna: There is a lot of improvisation that happens. With the guests, we don’t know how are they going to respond to our jokes. Sometimes the guests even give the opposite answer to what we might have expected.

Archana: Comedy cannot be just scripted comedy. If it can be, then why are there only these six to seven people who can do it? Comedy is something that needs timing and improvisation. If the particular actor does not improvise, then it cannot be a comedy. You give the same script to Krushna or Rajiv and they would improvise it in their own way. There are only these handful of actors who can do it.

Rajiv: During ‘Comedy Cirkus,’ I was sharing the stage with comedians like Kapil, Bharti Singh, Sudesh Lehri, and others. Many people used to tell me that my talent is getting hidden among these comedians. But I used to tell them that I’m instead blooming because of them. They say that if you think you are the most sane person in a room, then you’re wrong. Similarly, if I think that I am the biggest comedian on the show, then it is my misconception. You can’t learn then. I learn so much with my co-stars.

Archana: They all support each other’s acts. There is so much camaraderie on the show. That is why ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ is such a huge success. If we had one-upmanship, then the show would fall flat. Kapil doesn’t have an act of himself but he continues to support Krushna, Sunil, and everyone by suggesting what more they can do.

Once, Kapil told me that he didn’t want me to watch the rehearsals because otherwise I wouldn’t laugh at punches during the shoot. I jokingly told him to trust my acting ability. However, it has happened that even though I might have heard a punchline before, I did laugh my heart out during the shoot. It wasn’t because I was acting, but because these guys never let a joke get stale. Despite whatever they are doing during the rehearsals, they enhance the act further during the shooting, and that is where improvisation comes in.

It is the toughest job to do comedy. Many big actors have failed when they have tried their hands at comedy. That is why we have 20-40 heroes who have given us silver and golden jubilee hits. But when you talk about comedians, we have a handful of them such as Mehmood, Om Prakash, Johnny Walker, Johnny Lever, and others. You can count them on your fingers. It is a fact that the most difficult genre is that of comedy.

Q. Archana, did you ever get a chance to speak to Navjot Singh Sidhu about the jokes that were made about you regarding replacing him on the show?

Archana: I have not met him only. Once on Kapil’s show, I had come to promote ‘Dolly Ki Doli’, at that time he was on the chair. It was only during that time that I spoke to him briefly. I don’t know him personally. Yet, more than Parmeet (Sethi) and my name, it is Sidhu Ji’s and my name that has been linked.