The Great Indian Laughter Challenge
Encyclopedia
The Great Indian Laughter Challenge is one of the very successful reality shows on Indian television. It is a competition of stand up comedians that is presented on STAR One
. Produced by Endemol India
, the fourth series of the show launched on June 6, 2008.
, an eminent TV personality and Navjot Singh Sidhu
who a famous former cricketer and cricket commentator from India, known for his humorous "Sidhuisms." The show's initial episodes were hosted by Parizaad Kolah Marshall
and later she was replaced by Shonali Nagrani. The set was designed by noted Bollywood production designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai
In the first season, Sunil Pal
was the winner whereas Ahsaan Qureshi
was runner up. In the second season contestants from Pakistan were also present and the winner Rauf Lala
was also from Pakistan. The third season was won by Kapil Sharma
from Amritsar. Many other talented commedians like Sudesh Lehari, Rajiv Thakur, Jassi Kochar, Khayaali, Raju Srivastava
and Chandan Prabhakar
have appeared in the show.
The first two seasons were followed by another show The Great Indian Laughter Champions which included top performers of the previous shows. Here also the judges were Sidhu and Shekar including some celebrity guests as well.
The fourth season features judges Navjot Singh Sidhu
and popular actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha
, who has replaced Shekhar Suman. Recently the first woman to participate was Aarti Kandpal. The fourth season's finalists were Rasbihari Gaur, Bharti Singh, Suresh Albela, and a duo from Pakistan. The winner for the fourth season after a tough laughter war was Suresh Albela.
STAR One
STAR One is an Indian television channel that primarily broadcasts Hindi entertainment based in Mumbai. Launched on 1 November 2004 with its show, Remix, the channel gained in popularity with television shows such as Remix, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Nach Baliye, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai,...
. Produced by Endemol India
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
, the fourth series of the show launched on June 6, 2008.
Overview
It has run through three seasons where stand-up comedians and performers from different places came together and showed their comedy skills to judges, live audience and people. The show was judged by Shekhar SumanShekhar Suman
Shekhar Suman is an Indian film actor and a television personality. He has also been featured as a singer on a music album. Suman married Alka Kapur on May 4, 1984, and has a son, Adhyayan Suman a Bollywood film actor.-Career:...
, an eminent TV personality and Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu is former Indian cricket star . After retirement from cricket Navjot Singh Sidhu took up television commentary, and politics. He was later forced to resign from his political position because he was convicted of homicide.-Biography:...
who a famous former cricketer and cricket commentator from India, known for his humorous "Sidhuisms." The show's initial episodes were hosted by Parizaad Kolah Marshall
Parizaad Kolah
Parizad Kolah Marshall is an Indian television actress, who hosted The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.Brought up in Parsi Colony in Bombay, she attended was educated at H. R. College and has worked in theatre as well as a runway model. She has acted in one Bollywood movie, Main Prem Ki Diwani...
and later she was replaced by Shonali Nagrani. The set was designed by noted Bollywood production designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Nitin Chandrakant Desai, is a noted Indian art director and production designer of Indian cinema turned film and television producer, most known for his work in films like, Lagaan , Jodhaa Akbar , Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam...
In the first season, Sunil Pal
Sunil Pal
Sunil Pal was born in Chandrapur. He is a popular Indian comedian and actor, and the 2005 winner of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on STAR One...
was the winner whereas Ahsaan Qureshi
Ahsaan Qureshi
Ahsaan Qureshi is an Indian stand-up comedian. He is the 2005 runner-up of the The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star One. Qureshi has been a stage performer for the last 20 years. Most of his jokes focus on political satire and social issues...
was runner up. In the second season contestants from Pakistan were also present and the winner Rauf Lala
Rauf Lala
- Biography :Rauf Lala is a popular Pakistani comedian, actor, writer, and Producer. He Has been working for over three decades in Pakistani Media and Achieved a lot and is Well known for his Talent and Work....
was also from Pakistan. The third season was won by Kapil Sharma
Kapil Sharma
Kapil Sharma is an Indian stand-up comedian and actor from Amritsar in Punjab, India. He was the winner of stand up comedy reality series, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on STAR One, where he received acclaim for his stand-up comedy characters, Lala Roshan Lal and Shamsher Singh...
from Amritsar. Many other talented commedians like Sudesh Lehari, Rajiv Thakur, Jassi Kochar, Khayaali, Raju Srivastava
Raju Srivastava
Raju Srivastav often credited as Raju Shrivastav or Raju Srivastava, is an Indian comedian, and more popularly, an observational comedian. He is known most for his acute scrutiny and comical timing about various aspects of Indian life....
and Chandan Prabhakar
Chandan Prabhakar
Chandan Prabhakar was born in Amritsar . He is a popular Indian stand-up comedian. He was the first runner up in The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 3.Some of his most popular characters are Harpal Singh and Jhanda Singh....
have appeared in the show.
The first two seasons were followed by another show The Great Indian Laughter Champions which included top performers of the previous shows. Here also the judges were Sidhu and Shekar including some celebrity guests as well.
The fourth season features judges Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu is former Indian cricket star . After retirement from cricket Navjot Singh Sidhu took up television commentary, and politics. He was later forced to resign from his political position because he was convicted of homicide.-Biography:...
and popular actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha
Shatrughan Sinha
Shatrughan Sinha is an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shipping...
, who has replaced Shekhar Suman. Recently the first woman to participate was Aarti Kandpal. The fourth season's finalists were Rasbihari Gaur, Bharti Singh, Suresh Albela, and a duo from Pakistan. The winner for the fourth season after a tough laughter war was Suresh Albela.
Great Indian Laughter Challenge I Results
- Sunil PalSunil PalSunil Pal was born in Chandrapur. He is a popular Indian comedian and actor, and the 2005 winner of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on STAR One...
- Ahsaan QureshiAhsaan QureshiAhsaan Qureshi is an Indian stand-up comedian. He is the 2005 runner-up of the The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star One. Qureshi has been a stage performer for the last 20 years. Most of his jokes focus on political satire and social issues...
- Raju SrivastavaRaju SrivastavaRaju Srivastav often credited as Raju Shrivastav or Raju Srivastava, is an Indian comedian, and more popularly, an observational comedian. He is known most for his acute scrutiny and comical timing about various aspects of Indian life....
- Naveen Prabhakar
- Bhagwant MannBhagwant MannBhagwant Mann Satauj dist.Sangrur, Punjab, India. Bhagwant Mann is an Indian comedian and politician, who is famous for his skits in Punjabi language. He started his comedy career by participating in youth festivals and inter-college competitions...
Great Indian Laughter Challenge II Results
- Rauf LalaRauf Lala- Biography :Rauf Lala is a popular Pakistani comedian, actor, writer, and Producer. He Has been working for over three decades in Pakistani Media and Achieved a lot and is Well known for his Talent and Work....
(Karachi, Pakistan) - Rajeev Nigam (Mumbai, India)
- Khayali and Pratap Faujdar (Panjab, India)
- Irfan Malik and Ali Hassan (Karachi, Pakistan)
- Dr.Tushar Shah (Mumbai, India)
- Rajkumar Javkar- Rancho (Mumbai, India)
Great Indian Laughter Challenge III Results (2007)
- Kapil SharmaKapil SharmaKapil Sharma is an Indian stand-up comedian and actor from Amritsar in Punjab, India. He was the winner of stand up comedy reality series, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on STAR One, where he received acclaim for his stand-up comedy characters, Lala Roshan Lal and Shamsher Singh...
(Amritsar, Panjab) - Chandan PrabhakarChandan PrabhakarChandan Prabhakar was born in Amritsar . He is a popular Indian stand-up comedian. He was the first runner up in The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 3.Some of his most popular characters are Harpal Singh and Jhanda Singh....
(Amritsar) - Sudesh LehriSudesh LehriSudesh Lehri is an Indian stand-up comedian, film and television actor. Though already known in Punjabi films and television, he achieved acclaimed when he one of top threefinalist at The Great Indian Laughter Challenge III in 2007...
(Amritsar) - Parvez Siddiqui (Karachi, Pakistan)
- Rajiv Thakur (Amritsar)
- Kuldeep Dube (Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh)
Great Indian Laughter Challenge IV Results
- Suresh Albela (Kota, Rajasthan)
- Sikandar Sanam and Wali Sheikh (KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) - Bharti Singh (AmritsarAmritsarAmritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, PunjabPunjab (India)Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
) - Rasbihari Gaur (AjmerAjmerAjmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, RajasthanRajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
) - Shrikant Maski