The new season of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ has been greeted with a lot of fanfare, but one very visible absence has been the cause of much speculation: comedian Rajiv Thakur. Considering friendly banter with Kapil Sharma or perhaps his own wisecracks or one-liners, Thakur has been greatly missed in the recent episodes of the show.
A few days ago, in the middle of rising rumors regarding his departure, Rajiv Thakur while having conversation with Pinkvilla , He said, “No one rests from a huge show like this, clearly you must have been pushed out.” The lighthearted dig at his circumstances, however, prompted him to discuss the real reasons for his departure, revealing the intricacies of a high-pressure, high-profile production.
Scheduling Disruptions and a Heavy Cast
In a recent interview, Rajiv Thakur explained that he was absent because of a string of unavoidable scheduling conflicts. He said that although the team would call him in for shoots, he also had prior commitments that he did not want to violate. This conflict of dates proved to be challenging for him to regularly take part. He also mentioned the show’s new format, which has a reduced runtime of 55 minutes.
With veteran comedians such as Kapil Sharma, Sunil Grover, and Krushna Abhishek all having to enact their skits, in addition to a special segment for celebrity guests, the screen space that was available to other performers was minimal. Thakur believed that with so many shows lined up, there was not much scope for him to deliver his character to the best of his abilities.
The Balancing Act of Comedy
Thakur also shared about an experience from his past that has shaped his career. He was reminiscing about when he was working on ‘Comedy Circus’ with a child artist. It was not easy making fun of her, so he flipped the script and gave her lines to tease him instead. While this caused laughs on television, one specific line “I’m earning a living on a child’s salary” had a long-lasting effect.
He explained that individuals started taking this literally, and it forged a public image of him being a “boring” or “failing” comedian. This experience indicates the sensitive balance comedians have to keep between their televised persona and their actual identity. Even with the adversity, Thakur’s absence on the show represents a new page in his life as he devotes himself to his solo career and stand-up comedy performances.
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