Kapil Sharma’s show lands at top spot on Netflix in India

Indian comedy sensation Kapil Sharma, who starred in Nandita Dass Busan 2022 selection ‘Zwigato’, has successfully transitioned his long-running TV show to Netflix with ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ now reaching global viewers.

“The Kapil Sharma Show” aired on Sony Entertainment Television India from 2016 to 2023. The decision to bring his show to Netflix was spontaneous. “Netflix asked: Why don’t we put your show that people have enjoyed on TV for so many years on Netflix,” explains Sharma. “I really liked this idea and thought, why not? A global service like Netflix would be great to reach more people and also gain international exposure.” The transition has enabled a new approach to production. “We’re very lucky to have created a series where every episode is so different and unique, and Netflix’s seasonal approach allows us all to have a little respite, which is a welcome change,” says Sharma.

While the show’s primary focus remains on the Hindi-speaking audience, the global feedback has been remarkable. “Of course it’s different if someone sees the show with subtitles. Nevertheless, the global feedback was excellent. When our show started, it was trending not only in India but also in several other countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia. “Season 1 was the first Indian series to land on the top 10 (non-English) TV list in the world for four consecutive weeks,” says Sharma. The success continues with the second season, which has topped India’s top 10 TV charts since its launch two weeks ago and entered the top 10 in 11 countries.

Sharma, who won the third season of Star TV’s stand-up comedy reality show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ in 2007 and hosted Colors TV’s ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’, knows how difficult it is to write comedy, especially for a long-running show. “Writing comedies is definitely a challenge because you have to come up with a new theme and a new gag every time,” he says. “It is particularly difficult when we interact with the celebrities of our show, with whom we have already done many episodes.” He thanks his team for the consistent quality of the show. “I feel very lucky and grateful to God for having such a fantastic team. My directors, acting team and everyone else are all veterans of the industry with whom I have developed long-lasting friendships.”

The new season introduces technological improvements to create an even more immersive viewing experience. Visual effects and holograms have been integrated and there are plans to experiment with interactive formats in the coming episodes. The series is also expanding its character roster, introducing more characters relevant to pop culture alongside familiar faces. To engage directly with fans, Sharma and his castmates undertake tours of several cities, including a recent visit to the Attari Wagah border to meet with border security personnel and their families. The guest list for the second season includes Saif Ali Khan, NTR Jr, Janhavi Kapoor, the T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team and also the cast of Fabulous Wives vs Bollywood Lives. The season started with Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Vasan Bala and Vedang Raina for their upcoming film Jigra.

While comedy remains his forte, Sharma also ventured into dramatic roles, particularly in Zwigato. “Of course I would like to take on more leading roles in films. However, after the release of Zwigato, people only seem interested in offering me more serious scripts. While I want to show the world my serious side, I don’t want to focus too much on it,” he chuckles. “Honestly, I enjoy doing comedy films more, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider a serious role. If a great script comes my way, I would definitely like to tackle it.”

As The Great Indian Kapil Show continues to gain traction around the world, Sharma remains open to new opportunities, including the possibility of more stand-up specials following the success of I Am Not Done Yet on Netflix.