'Ashleel, naach aur nautanki': Mukesh Khanna slams comedians in Kapil Sharma show for dressing up as women

Pouplar TV actor Mukesh Khanna never fails to mince his words, he is unable, and unfiltered and often shares two cents about the growing trends in the industry. Of late, comedy has got a new meaning, and the bridge between female and male comedians has dissolved. One of the most famous comedy shows The Great Indian Kapil Sharma hosted by Kapil Sharma shows Ali Asgar and Sunil Grover dressed as females for their peculiar acts. Their acts are loved by fans and live audiences.

However, Mukesh Khanna expressed his disapproval of male actors and comedians who dress as women for comedy in TV shows.

For the unversed, Ali Asgar essays the role of dadi.

Shaktimaan actor referred to Ali Asgar's character as 'fuhad (awkward)' during a chat on his YouTube channel. In response,

On his official X account, Mukesh Khanna wrote, "Mujhe pasand nahi mard auraton ke kapde pehen kar naache ya nautanki kare. Par ek show hai jiska naam nahi loonga... usme comedy ke naam par yahi dhadhale se hota hai. (I don't like men dressing up as women and dancing or performing. There's one show I won't name where this kind of comedy happens)."

The actor further explained that since their shoots often took place late at night, it would have been challenging for a senior actress to work those odd hours. However, Khanna interrupted him, saying that this wasn't a valid reason and that actresses are also accustomed to working late.

Ali defended the show's producers and explained why he was chosen to play a grandmother.

Ali responded, "It's your personal opinion. So I can't say anything. People always ask why they make a boy into a girl. The reason for it, from my understanding, is that nobody's dadi (grandmother) will be like me. She wouldn't be that energetic."

The actor further explained that since their shoots often took place late at night, it would have been challenging for a senior actress to work those odd hours.

Ali explained, "The timing of our shootings was very skewed. We often shot late into the night after shooting two episodes during the day. There had to be gags and integration, so it would get very late. If you cast a senior actress as Dadi, she'd struggle with the late hours, being an older lady."

However, Khanna interrupted him, saying that this wasn't a valid reason and that actresses are also accustomed to working late.

Mukesh Khanna interrupted, saying, "That's not the right reason, do heroines not work late into the night?" Ali continued, "Another reason is that when we make a boy into a woman, it's not an original character. Therefore, we can take a lot of creative liberties and have a lot of fun. Since the character isn't original, there's nothing to be offended about."

Ali then offered another reason, "When we make a boy play a woman, it allows us a lot of creative freedom and fun. Since the character isn't based on a real person, there's nothing to be offended by."

He added, "The premise of the show is a family that is glamour-struck. There's a Dadi, two sisters (including Gutthi, played by Sunil Grover), a servant, and a wife. It's a poor family, they don't have money, they're kangaal (broke). All the characters we played were underdogs. Before making fun of someone else, we would make fun of ourselves."

Ali concluded by saying, "Kapil's knowledge is phenomenal. He knows the pulse of the audience and can predict which jokes will work and which will fall flat. We've seen it in live shows; what he predicted would happen. He is blessed in that way."

Ali portrayed Dadi on Comedy Nights with Kapil from 2013 to 2016 and played Nani on The Kapil Sharma Show from 2016 to 2017.