Comedy's golden era may be long gone, and according to actress Khushboo Kamal, it’s all thanks to the current crop of influencers and wannabe comedians who think shock value equals humor. Kamal, known for her iconic roles in Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai and FIR, isn’t mincing words when it comes to today’s comedy scene, particularly calling out Uorfi Javed, Kusha Kapila, and comedian Samay Raina for turning comedy into a circus of skin, abuse, and low blows.
"Uorfi Javed, Kusha Kapila, Samay Raina—they’re not actors, they're attention-seekers," Kamal fired, adding that they’ve turned comedy into a free-for-all where if a joke falls flat, the backup plan is to either strip down or hurl insults. According to Kamal, this new breed of “comedians” is stripping comedy of its essence and replacing it with tragic attempts at publicity stunts. "If it’s not a joke, it’s a display of personal melodrama or profanity. That’s not comedy, that’s just bad theatre," she said, clearly unimpressed with the state of the genre.
She didn’t stop there—Kamal went on to praise the greats like Johnny Lever, David Dhawan, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who, in her view, brought sophistication to comedy without resorting to cuss words or the "look at me" antics that dominate today’s content. “Kapil Sharma and Bharti Singh still manage to make us laugh without ever crossing the line. But these so-called 'comedians'? They’ve killed the spirit of comedy with their desperate antics," she quipped.
Kamal also slammed the impact of such comedy on younger audiences. "What exactly are kids learning from these people?" she asked, highlighting the dangerous normalization of shocking behavior. "Are we really going to let our youth think that shedding clothes or throwing insults is how you get laughs? Parents must be cringing."
In her closing statement, Kamal didn’t hold back: “Digital platforms need a hard reset—otherwise, these talentless people will keep teaching kids the most bizarre, damaging stuff in the name of 'entertainment.' Comedy is dead, and they’ve buried it with their nonsense." A sharp critique, no doubt, but one that’s bound to spark plenty of debate in the ever-evolving world of comedy.