Kapil
Subhash K Jha (DNA; September 2, 2015)

Starting next week, Colors introduces a new hour-long comedy series titled Comedy Nights Bachao, in what is being perceived as a direct challenge to Comedy Nights With Kapil. The comedian apparently vexed his parent channel Colors by taking two weeks off to rest his bad back before heading for his US concerts. And now he is being cut down to size by the channel.

“It is positioned on Saturdays at 10 pm exactly where Kapil’s show used to be before he decided to make it once a week, on Sunday nights, instead of a bi-weekly on Saturday and Sunday nights. The idea is to give viewers an alternative comedy hour during weekends, should Kapil decide to leave the show after his debut film releases, the channel would be prepared to take on the weekend comedy crisis. Even if he decides to stay on, he won’t get the two days he had.”

Not indispensable
It is no coincidence that all of Kapil’s former colleagues are part of Comedy Nights Bachao. “Whether it Bharti Singh, Krushna Abhishek or Sudesh Lehri, Kapil has worked with them in Comedy Circus. By bringing them in a rival show, Colors wants to let Kapil know they can easily create other comic talent to rival his popularity.” To add insult to injury, Bachao takes off this weekend with star guest Salman Khan.

Salman’s absence
Says the source, “Ever since CNWK started, Salman has come on Kapil’s show to promote every film of his. Now suddenly he has gone to CNB to promote Hero with Sooraj Pancholi and Aathiya Shetty because his brother Sohail is associated with the comic actors on CNB. It’s a big blow for Kapil’s ego. On his show, the very next night Salman would be conspicuous by his absence.”

The war between the two shows is now on. We’ll have to see how Kapil regains supremacy over the comedy slab during the weekend primetime viewing.