Veteran comedian and Laughter Challenge winner Sunil Pal has sparked a massive controversy following his appearance on a recent special episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show.
The episode, which premiered on May 2, featured internet sensations Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia. However, in a recent explosive interview, Sunil Pal alleged that he was used as a mere “TRP booster” and was systematically sidelined to favor the younger Netflix stars.
Sunil Pal claimed that he was initially invited to perform a dedicated 15-minute stand-up set, which had been finalized by the show’s director. To his shock, upon arriving at the set, he realized the format had been altered. Pal alleged that his prepared act was never filmed and the few jokes he managed to crack during the recording were edited out. “Netflix thought their stars [Samay and Ranveer] were facing a downfall, so they wanted to highlight them by using me to boost TRPs,” Pal stated, expressing his frustration over being “just a bystander” in a show he has long been associated with.
Allegations of Orchestrated Favouritism
The comedian didn’t hold back when discussing the judging panel, specifically targeting Navjot Singh Sidhu and Archana Puran Singh. Pal alleged that the atmosphere on set felt “one-sided” and orchestrated. He claimed the audience was subtly instructed not to laugh at his jokes while being encouraged to give “extreme reactions” to the smallest quips from Samay Raina.
Sunil was particularly critical of Sidhu’s glowing praise for Raina. “Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been listening to comedians for 20 years, reacted to a small joke from Samay by saying, ‘Too good, you are the next Kapil,'” Pal remarked. He further noted that even Archana Puran Singh—whom he jokingly described as someone who “would laugh at the wind if paid”—seemed hesitant to laugh at his segments, leading him to believe there was a pre-planned strategy to diminish his presence on the show.
Fans Divided Over “Old School vs. New Age” Comedy
The incident has triggered a heated debate online between fans of traditional stand-up and followers of the “YouTube/Streaming” era of comedy. While some support Sunil Pal, citing his legacy in Indian television comedy, others argue that the shift toward creators like Samay Raina reflects changing audience tastes. As of now, neither Netflix nor Kapil Sharma’s production team has issued an official response to these allegations of bias and censorship.