The seventh episode of the show was all about glam, glitter, and beautiful women wearing expensive trousseau. The female-led cast of Netflix India Original Heeramandi came onto The Great Indian Kapil Show, talking about their beauty, expensive clothes, and experience working with the legendary Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The episode was as lukewarm as the actual series as well; the host could not get much out of the women. At first, it felt like Kapil Sharma was clueless about how to interact with so many beautiful women all at once.
Episode 8 is graced by none other than the international pop sensation Ed Sheeran. The man has earned so many music-related accolades all this time that it was completely unexpected of him to make an appearance on Kapil Sharma’s chat show. It was probably the Netflix influence that made the famous Indian host an international pop artist. Ed Sheeran was in India a couple of months ago. The tour included visiting schools and meeting many influencers and celebrities, including Shubman Gill and the amazing Shah Rukh Khan. The fact that his PR team decided to have him show up on one of the most watched family-oriented chat shows in the country was a huge leap of faith.Â
On watching the teaser for this episode, one expected it to be a cringe-fest. Moreover, Kapil Sharma shows in the past that featured guests from foreign countries ended up becoming embarrassing pieces of content, which included gags that would just lead to them putting their heads down in shame and pure awkwardness. Most of these non Indian guests were cricketers from the West Indies, Pakistan, and Australia who were made to be silent spectators while others were just talking in Hindi, making them feel completely uncomfortable. I think the Netflix makers made sure there was not a repeat show of what happened in the past and wrote gags and questions in such a manner that would elevate the viewing experience and would not make anyone wonder why the English pop star was even invited. The expectation was that Ed Sheeran might feel embarrassed, but the entire episode was mostly about his journey as a musician and the struggles he faced up until he became a known face in the pop arena. Kapil Sharma was struggling with his English-speaking skills but there were many self-aware jokes. This proves the makers and the host hoped the episode would not be filled with cliched scenarios.Â
It is endearing to watch Kapil Sharma being interested in the artist’s journey, and Ed Sheeran himself proudly sharing stories of his struggle. He worked as a bartender during his earlier days as a struggling person with no money. There is a sense of honesty in his words, and Kapil Sharma was enjoying every anecdote Ed shared with the world. In India, many listen to Ed Sheeran songs, but not everyone gets to know the story behind his success. The story of the struggle is not new to Kapil Sharma, which made him feel proud of the achievements Ed had made over the years. Kapil himself could have related the stories of struggle and eventually becoming a nationwide sensation.
It was good of the makers to ask questions about his career; one of them is about whether he ever forgets the lyrics while performing live on stage. The only lukewarm part of the show has to be the gags with the usual actors. Only this time, Sunil Pal and Kiku Sharda were in a very different avatar, which did generate good laughs. Sunil Pal’s character in the show would remind everyone of Paresh Rawal in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. These gags were a little over the top but somehow managed to not spiral out of control, like in many of the previous episodes and editions of the Kapil Sharma show.
Kapil Sharma, for the first time, came across as very grounded and did not let anything get out of hand. He was thoroughly interested in hearing about Ed Sheeran and asked genuinely interesting questions instead of the cliched ones. Some jokes were below the belt and bordering on crass, but somehow Ed Sheeran’s responses were good enough, and it indicates that he’s a fun person to banter with. The best thing about Ed Sheeran has to be the nonexistence of a superstar attitude. He blended well with all the gags and allowed himself to get carried away by the goofiness of the actors. It was awesome of him to sing two of his popular songs, which everyone joined in on as the crowd consisted of young men and women. The show, for the first time, showcased a Mumbai-based band named Dharavi Reloaded. This percussion-based band was the cherry on top of the cake and a brilliant musical ending to a decent episode.
What everyone looks forward to is knowing who the next guest will be on The Great Indian Kapil Show. Farah Khan and Anil Kapoor, an odd duo, will be making an appearance on the show to talk about their journey in the industry. Farah Khan is known for being brutally honest and has many stories about her profession and the people she works with. Anil Kapoor has had an amazing run in the last few years, and Animal is the highlight of it. With this, Netflix brought yet another lead actor from the Sandeep Reddy Vanga film and further promoted the film, which is streaming on the streaming platform.
