Shekhar Suman has expressed his disappointment with the current state of stand-up comedy, saying that many contemporary comedians rely too heavily on offensive language and vulgar humor rather than strong writing.
Having judged popular comedy reality shows like ‘The Great Indian Laugh Challenge’ and ‘Comedy Circus’, Shekhar reflects on how comedy has evolved over the years and why he believes the quality has declined.The actor said that comedy today seems less organic compared to earlier times. “It’s forced now; it used to be simple. The comedians were good too, they had new thinking. Comedy has gone towards vulgarity now.”
It’s obscene. There is a double meaning and double standards now. This change came because people stopped thinking. “Till the time you don’t think or read or come up with anything new, you will end up just stealing jokes from here and there, and presenting it in a different way,” he reflected in an interview with Bollywood Bubble.
Shekhar also criticized the rise of profanity-laced content online, and said many creators wrongly assume that offensive language automatically makes comedy fun.
“If you go to YouTube to watch comedy, it is full of abuse, and you can’t even listen to it. Some people think that offensive language is cool and that viewers enjoy it, which is wrong. Earlier, there were also funny TV serials, like Dekh Bhai Dekh and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, and their writing and writing were great.”
But now, this whole thinking and approach has disappeared. Comedians just focus on making people laugh with a bunch of jokes and funny lines here and there, it’s an easy way out.When asked if there are any young comedians he currently admires, Shekhar avoided naming individuals and instead pointed out that audiences today support all kinds of artistes. “Look, both bad and good people have audiences today. I don’t want to talk about anyone in particular. People who are seen have received love from viewers, and those who are not seen may not have been loved by the audience.”The actor also revisited memories of the first season of ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ in 2005, where late comedian Raju Srivastava bagged second place, while Sunil Pal won the competition. According to Shekhar, despite not winning the title, Raju continued to remain much loved and remembered by the audience over the years.Recalling his conversation with Raju before the show began, Shekhar said, “When the show was about to start, Raju Srivastav was a great comedian. He came to my house and asked me if he should do the laugh challenge after receiving the offer. What if I get second place? I said, ‘So what?’
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