It is pretty hard to miss the hype surrounding The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix. Since the launch, the hosting of the show has been taken up by the ever-charismatic Kapil Sharma, which has been doing very well; still, there is a growing sentiment among the viewers that it’s more of a platform to advertise for the Netflix rather than a genuine entertainment show.
One of the main criticisms has been the conspicuous fall in viewership over the weeks. The early episodes of the show showed great numbers, but as weeks changed, the viewership number started declining. That fall coincides with the relative frequency of Netflix India stars and cast members of shows like Fabulous Lives vs. Bollywood Wives. With big names like Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt, it is exciting to see some big names being part of the show, but the catch remains there: is the show losing its original charm?
The current Karwa Chauth special, which had the Fabulous Lives vs. Bollywood Wives cast, is an example of this. Even though it was full of celebrities, viewers did not find it very endearing. Instead of the lively and humorous banter for which Kapil Sharma is renowned, the entire hour felt more like Netflix advertising material.
While there is nothing wrong with Netflix making their hits and the stars shine brighter in the direction of attracting viewership, one wonders what lies at what cost. The uniqueness of selling the show seems to be edged out by constant advertising of its content. The fans feel the genuineness of the show has been lost and is only being used for promotional purposes.
Kapil Sharma and his team are celebrating success despite the reduced viewership. The real challenge, however will be how they can balance the entertainment of the audience with promoting Netflix’s content without losing the originality of the show.
What do you think? Is it possible for the show to regain the original charm or has it become too promotional?
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