The Great Indian Kapil Show 2nd episode first impression: Sunil Grover is the last man standing in this comedy top order collapse

The challenge that Kapil Sharma faced on Saturday night was a big one. He had to somehow convince his audience that they should pick his comedy show featuring two-star cricketers - Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer - over the IPL itself. It's safe to say that he played and missed.

Don't believe me? Just observe Rohit's expressions throughout the episode as he oscillates between a forced grin and genuine discomfort—the struggle is palpable. Kapil had already set the bar low with the lackluster premiere episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show, but giving up entirely is another matter. The second episode was saturated with mindless, painfully unfunny gags and bland jokes, presented with the lackluster enthusiasm one might associate with completing a weary comedy show's review. Yet, in the end, I'm left to make sense of this unstructured mess.

This latest episode underscored the blatant neglect of writing, which is an ironic oversight for a sketch comedy show. The writers seem overly reliant on the talents of their actors to elicit laughs while they fail to arm them with punchlines, or maybe disarm them with bad ones.

The lack of strong writing is especially evident in the underutilisation of a talented actor and comedian like Sunil Grover. Instead of thinking outside the box, the makers seem content to remain within the familiar confines and have even compartmentalised the box. For instance, certain elements are set in stone for every episode: Sunil will cross-dress at least once to make the audience cheer and hoot, even if it feels out of context and doesn't make sense. Kapil will recycle the same tired insults aimed at his cast members, while Archana Puran Singh attempts to mask the show's tone-deaf humour with her boisterous laughter.

In a specific moment, one could see Rohit Sharma get so awkward and uncomfortable by Sunil's humourless jokes that the latter had to give a 'help me' look to Kapil. Yet, in the next moment, Rohit is seen laughing at the very same unfunny jokes, leaving one to wonder if the director intervened, coaxing laughter out of the cricketer mid-scene.

Sunil managed to salvage some of the poorly written segments, particularly when he portrayed the legendary cricketer Kapil Dev— an undeniable highlight of the 49-minute ordeal. Similarly, Kapil's portrayal of Navjot Singh Sidhu also brought a brief spark of life to this otherwise lackluster affair.

While laughter remained nonexistent during most of the second episode, some segments helped redeem the show. Krishna Abhishek's entrance as an air hostess alongside IPL cheerleaders provided a brief chuckle, particularly when he said, "Main akele mein bahut sexy lagta hoon (I look sexy when I'm alone)." Okay, maybe it sounded better in my head. Similarly, the banter between Krishna and Kiku's Sharda injected some spice into an otherwise bland broth. A heartfelt moment also stole the show when Rohit Sharma opened up about the emotional impact of losing the 2023 World Cup trophy in the finals.

The talk show part of Kapil's shows always works because it sees guests share some unheard tidbits about their lives, generating wide interest. However, when faced with celebrities reluctant to share personal details, the comedian and his team must rely on their comedic prowess to keep the audience engaged — a task at which they are currently falling short.

For instance, the previous episode saw the Kapoor family in attendance. While the first episode didn't work in terms of the comedy sketches, the Bollywood actors made it interesting, if not bearable, by sharing interesting anecdotes about their lives. This time around, however, Kapil found himself without the luxury of celebrity revelations, as the cricketers remained tight-lipped about their personal lives. As a result, the burden fell squarely on Kapil and his team to maintain audience interest.

Though Shreyas Iyer’s secret talents as a magician did bring a refreshing surprise to Kapil Sharma’s show, his spell wasn't potent enough to redeem the whole episode. You can watch The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix.