Artticle:Oye,Chak de phatte

What expectations do you have from TGILC (The Great Indian Laughter Challenge) Season 3? I have zero expectations. I believe the show has reached another level. It's very difficult to sustain a show after two seasons, but our team has managed to keep the spark intact and that's an achievement in itself. People keep talking about your constant laughter on the show.. comment The secret is editing. Even when there is an ordinary joke cracked by a participant, the editors place a frame of me laughing my head off, leaving the audience amazed. But it's okay. I guess one has to sacrifice something for the betterment of the show. What do your children think of the show? Both my children love watching the show. My son says my laughter is a stress-buster. I must say, in the 30 years of my career, I've never had as much fun as I'm having now. Why does TGILC have no lady participants? Do men cook? It's very simple; women in India are still very shy.. they are scared of coming out of their shell. But we do have a female participant this season and she's mind-blowing. She's a wonderful mimic. What about your friction with Shekhar Suman? I have immense respect for Shekharji, and there was no fric- tion at all. It was all a figment of the media's imagination. In fact, it's good to have him back on the show for the third season. What was it like working with Shakti Kapoor in the previous season? Shakti is brilliant.. he's a true entertainer. If you ask me to name the best moments on this show, I'd definitely pick the episodes I co- judged with Shakti. He's been through a rough patch (India TV's sting operation) but one blemish doesn't ruin your image. Has the recent case against you affected your image? No, not even by one per cent. People have been very supportive of me. I'm overwhelmed by their response. Are you doing any other shows on television? I've been offered reality shows but I have no time at all. If I ever do one, it will be on the lines of Larry King Live because I want to be myself. What about soaps? I did Balaji's Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka but that's only because I know Ektaa personally. Soaps are a dan- gerous area and I haven't consid- ered them seriously so far. Someday, I'll experiment with them too. i The Great Indian Laughter Challenge airs every Friday and Saturday on Star One at 9 pm.