Rakhi Sawant--War of words

T here was high drama on the sets of Comedy Ka Baadshah (Sony) when one of the contestants on the show staged a walk-out, much to the embarrassment of the producer and the judges. The show features Rakhi Sawant and comedy man Raju Srivastav, along with the Pakistani comedian Kashif Khan as judges. Comedy Ka Baadshah is a programme that attempts to improve cultural harmony by bringing stand-up comedians from India and Pakistan together on a common platform. The incident happened when producer Vipul D Shah was shooting the first episode of Mahasangram India-Pak- istan special. Albela and Sultan, from India and Pakistan respec- tively, were the first two con- testants in this episode. After the first round, Sul- tan scored higher then Albela. In the second round, Sultan had just completed his act and it was Albela's turn to present his. He refused to perform, accusing Sawant of biased judgement saying that she has been partial to Sultan because he was from Pakistan. The accusation left the judges stumped. It seems, Sawant reacted saying, "We have taken the decision based on the performances." Recounts Shah, "I was tak- en aback when I heard about the incident. Albela thought that the judges had not given him his due." Shah says he had a tough time convincing Albela to return and complete the episode; "It was quite a task." It's learnt that Albela went to the extent of saying that he wasn't like Indian crick- eters who would accept defeat easily. Sawant tried to pacify him, saying that the judgement was only fair. When he didn't relent, she asked him to behave. She is also reported to have said, "Our (Indians) USP is to be nice to people". Apparently Albela was not , convinced and he walked out of the set. This episode will air today at 9 pm. Shah says that they will show the entire incident, unedited. Later, Sawant comments, "I disliked the way Albela questioned the jury It's a seri- . ous show and one should know how to honour the sanctity of a contest that is purely based on merit." Incidentally , Sawant will also be seen on Koffee with Karan (Star World/Star One). It seems she was excited beyond words when Karan Johar called to invite her as a guest on his show. She appar- ently told him, "It was always my dream to be on Koffee with Karan. I just love your films and your show." And she was even more pleased to hear Johar say, "I'm a huge fan of yours. " ruhail.amin@hindustantimes.com