The second episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 3 had every ingredient of an entertaining show: a stellar ensemble of guests, a bankable host, and a big-ticket Bollywood release to promote. What it didn’t quite have was the punch that made earlier seasons of the show a staple for weekend chuckles.
The team of Metro…In Dino — Anurag Basu, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sensharma, Ali Fazal, Aditya Roy Kapur, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sara Ali Khan — were in full attendance. And while their camaraderie carried the episode through comfortably, the writing struggled to keep pace with their natural ease and wit.
The episode opened with Kapil Sharma looking for Navjot Singh Sidhu, only to discover the man of shayari and taali-thoko was absent. “Sidhu Paaji busy hain,” Kapil informed the audience with a mix of disappointment and deadpan delivery.
Ali Fazal was the first among the guests to be congratulated, as he recently became a father. And Neena Gupta, not to be left behind, was congratulated for stepping into the role of grandmother. But Neena being Neena, she wasn’t having any of the ‘Nani’ business. “Nani feels too old,” she said matter-of-factly. “I want to feel young”.
Then came the moment that had social media buzzing. Kapil, always up for some playful matchmaking, turned to Aditya Roy Kapur. “Fitoor mein Katrina, shaadi ho gayi. Sadak 2 mein Alia, shaadi ho gayi. Night Manager mein Sobhita, shaadi ho gayi. Toh Sara… iske baad?”
Before Aditya could reply, Sara Ali Khan jumped in with the ultimate mic-drop response: “Ranveer ke saath kaam kiya, shaadi ho gayi. Varun, shaadi ho gayi. Vikrant, shaadi ho gayi. Vicky, shaadi ho gayi. Toh actually bachna toh Adi ko chahiye”.
Needless to say, Aditya was left speechless.
The rest of the episode played out like a friendly reunion. Pankaj Tripathi’s grounded charm won hearts. “I’ve only done romance once, and that too with the woman who became my wife,” the Mirzapur actor confessed before taking the dance floor with Konkona.
Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta also twirled together invoking some nostalgia. Anupam also complimented Kapil on his recent weight loss. Kapil’s retort? “If you compliment me more, I’ll keep talking to you and forget the rest.” Never one to miss an opening, he even tried buttering up Anurag Basu for a film role.
One of the most moving moments of the episodes came when Anurag Basu spoke about Irrfan Khan. For a fleeting second, the raucous studio softened in silence
But for all the glitter of its guests, the episode’s sketch segments didn’t quite land. The writing felt like leftovers reheated for a fresh serving, although Sunil Grover, Krushna Abhishek and Kiku Sharda stepped in to salvage the scene.
