Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 28, 2017)

Days after confirming to mid- day that he plans to play mediator between top comedians Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover following a midair brawl, stand-up Raju Srivastava might just take Sunil’s place. Sunil was sorely missed when Naam Shabana actors Taapsee Pannu and Manoj Bajpayee arrived on The Kapil Sharma Show to promote their film over the weekend.

Confirming the developments, Raju tells mid-day, “Talks are on, but things are yet to be finalised. I don’t want to rush into it, but it’s a great opportunity. Sharing the stage with Kapil is always fun.”

Kapil had a fallout with ‘good friend’ Sunil (Dr Mashoor Gulati; Rinku Bhabhi), and other co-acts, childhood buddy Chandan Prabhakar (chaiwalla Chandu) and Ali Azgar (Naani), after he misbehaved with them on a flight from Melbourne. Raju and a set of comedians, including Ahsaan Qureshi and Sunil Pal, were called in to up the humour quotient, but despite their earnest efforts, they failed to match the energy of the original cast.

Raju’s jokes reminded viewers of his popular stint on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (2005), but they seemed tired, while Ahsaan’s poetic renditions failed to tickle the audience’s funny bone. Pal’s recreation of his character, Ratan Noora, which earned him the title of the 2005 show, also seemed tired. Kapil reiterated the importance of laughter, and the trio’s vocal love for the ‘great’ host, seemed like a forceful but futile assertion that the show could go on, despite the boycott by its most popular act.

It was earlier reported that the bunch would feature on one episode of the show. However, given the current situation, producers are finalising Raju for forthcoming episodes too. While Ahsaan hasn’t been formally approached, Raju says, “I had a good time on the show. It was like a mini reunion. I am a comedian and like to make people laugh. I just need a stage. If they call me, I will surely go back.”

Talking about playing peacemaker between Kapil and Sunil, Raju adds, “I was hopeful of bringing them together last week, but Sunil is out of town. I am waiting for him to return.”