Why it will keep you laughing:
Says Shekhar, "This episode has some of the finest performers on stage. Rauf Lala from Pakistan is a tremendous entertainer. My favourite on this episode — he's spontaneous, bat on, and brings an energy level never seen before. It's tremendous what he does on this episode — it's something you've never seen or heard before. For me, he's a clear winner and gets full marks for what he does.
Even the duo — the jodi of Irfan Malik and Ali Hasan are very close on heels. It's tough to get a good synchronisation going and the two of them share great chemistry, don't bungle up and are extremely complimentary to each other. They manage to re-create some of that Laurel-Hardy magic. Pratap Fauzdar from India also is a worthy competitor.
He's been performing consistently making himself the butt of all his jokes and projects a very subtle and intelligent humour. I like Rambo from Pakistan with his style and zabaan. But in front of these three, he has a lot of scope to get better"
Highlights of the episode and the show so far:
"Rauf Lala. He's an artist who's performed alongside Omar Sharif. His banter and spontaneity with me and Sidhu is my personal highlight on this episode.
Though what really had even me choked and moved, was after his finest performance in the series so far, he started crying after he made it to the next round. To see laughter and tears in a matter of minutes and to see what it meant for him to win brought tears even to my eyes. We were stunned!"
The mix of two countries:
"Unlike Season 1, the mix of having the Pakistani and Indian humourists trying to make us laugh adds a completely different flavour. Their expressions, their take, their language, pronunciations and way of telling jokes is completely different from us. In fact, it's almost like an India-Pakistan match and the Pakistani teams have been giving the Indian teams quite a run for their money!"
Dia Mirza as celebrity judge:
To have special guests, celebrities or not is always fun. Dia was fabulous and completely flowed in with me, Sidhu and Surinder — our man on the tabla. For someone to be there and hear four of the finest talents in the series make her laugh and banter with them was great.
She's never done this before and she admitted that two hours just absolutely flew by and she wasn't bored at all! Since we also don't have a script, its pretty much the spontaneity of the actor that's visible to the fans! At the end of it she was pretty and funny and that makes her pretty funny!"
Sidhu and Me:
"So much has been said about the two of us…. All I will say is we're chalk and cheese! It's an odd sort of chemistry, an odd sort of concoction that has everyone guessing! We're unpredictable, we gel well although it sounds like a tagline for a gel ad but it also keeps my hair in place!"
Audience voting: "We've got the finest people in the series so far. The humour is more evolved. The competition is tougher and everywhere I go people are always asking me, who is likely to win. All I hope is they all debate, choose, and pick their strong contenders and not
just go for one outstanding performer!"
Me in Season 2:
"Out of all the roles I've played, this one is tough. To sit, listen, notice nuances, read between the lines and judge somebody knowing it would break or make them is a tough ask.
My own style, I think, has evolved. It's moved beyond the basic premise of body language, pronunciation, expression and delivery to imagination, creativity and the ability to break barriers! All of this enriching experience of Season 2 of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge has made me a much better actor than I was ever before."
Season 1 Vs Season 2:
"Comparisons are odious. Besides, there's honestly no benchmark for comparison. This is like comparing a BMW to a Mercedes. One can't! Season 2 is undoubtedly bigger — the sets are huge, the participants have been groomed, the audience already has their favourites and the expectations are higher…. But for me, it reiterates that content is king! And it's great magic that has worked its charm! And the best part of Season 2 is that they what not to do… so they are doing things that will work."
On Season 3:
"I would love to have a Season 3! And why not? I hope the show goes on forever. Because it's funny, it's a cushy job and I do go home with a great paycheck!" | Who won last year's The Great Indian Laughter Challenge?
A) Sunil Pal
B) Raju Srivastava
Sms <VOTE> <YOUR ANSWER> <YOUR NAME> to 3650 and win passes to be the part of the audience in the upcoming season | | |
Anupamaa
Bollywood
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
CID
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
Book Talk
