“No Script, Just Pure Madness: Our Front-Row Date with Laughter Chefs”
Since childhood, I have grown up, studied, and lived in areas of Mumbai like 7 Bungalows, Versova, and now Khar-Bandra. Spotting an actor or celebrity was always very common for us. I’ve seen Joy Mukherjee (the yesteryear actor) taking a casual walk at 7 Bungalows. I’ve watched Alia Bhatt come for swimming at Sun-n-Sand Hotel along with veterans like Jeetendra, Prem Chopra, Rakesh Roshan, and Sujit Kumar, who were regular visitors to the hotel’s gym. Later came the iconic Barbarian Gym at 7 Bunglows (owned by Nagpurkar), where I got the chance to see actors like Shahid Kapoor, Zayed Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Saif Ali Khan, and many other actors and actresses whom I didn’t even recognise back then, workout. I even went to the same gym where Sushant Singh Rajput came for a good six months; it was at a very ordinary, non-AC gym in Bandra — just a year before he passed away.
Spotting celebrities at places like WTF in 7 Bungalows, Olive in Bandra, or now at Bastian has never been a big deal for me. TV actors and actresses were practically an everyday affair at such joints. By the way, I also have a photo with Orry, the new-age social media sensation, whom I met at a friend’s birthday party.
Impressing me with celebrity sightings is the last thing anyone can do. As a journalist, I know too much — how bodies are built, how some senior actors have exploited newcomers, and what kind of “material” is consumed or injected these days to look good. Even aspiring actors and actresses coming to Mumbai have detailed knowledge of all this. The cops and administration are equally well aware of what really goes on behind the glamour. Being so close to this world, I never felt the need to watch any TV or film shooting. Even when relatives or friends from abroad or small towns visited and insisted on going to Film City, I never took them.
But just a few days ago, after completing 21 years of marriage, I decided to surprise my wife with something different. She is a huge fan of the reality comedy show “Laughter Chefs” streaming on Jio Hotstar every weekend. She loves it so much that every Saturday or Sunday night, I have to cancel or postpone my plans with friends. The episode has to be watched by all of us — me, my wife, and our two sons (aged 19 and 15). My friends often get annoyed because I usually sleep by 8:30–9 pm on weekdays. Even on weekends, when I want to let my hair down, Laughter Chefs is a must-watch. Honestly, I’ve also become a big fan of the show.
So, for our 21st wedding anniversary, I did the unexpected. I knew it was shot every Wednesday at Prime Focus Studio, Filmcity. I requested someone and we got the passes. It was my turn to surprise my wife after 21 years.
As scheduled, we reached the set at 12 noon, and the shooting began at 12:30 pm. At first, I thought everything on TV was heavily scripted, but believe me — apart from the entry sequences, everything we saw was completely live and impromptu.
For those who don’t know, Laughter Chefs is a live cooking show where 5–6 celebrity couples compete to make dishes, which are then judged by celebrity chef Harpal Singh Sokhi. (Chef Harpal is hugely popular in Delhi and Dubai and has even cooked for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.)
The other host is the laughter queen, Bharti Singh. Her comedy, presence of mind, and timing are unmatched. The celebrity jodis this season include:
- Comedian Krushna Abhishek and wife Kashmera Shah
- Samarth Jurel and Abhishek Kumar (both Bigg Boss contestants)
- TV actor Nia Sharma and comedian Sudesh Lehri
- Karan Kundra (highest paid TV actor) & youth sensation Elvish Yadav
- Tejaswi Prakash (Karan’s fiancée) & TV Actor Arjun Bijlani
- YouTube sensation Jannat Zubair and actor Aly Goni
- Tv actress Ankita Lokhande and her husband Vicky Jain (the richest man on the show, a coal tycoon from Chhattisgarh)
The show is packed with energy thanks to Krushna Abhishek’s comic timing, Bharti Singh’s hosting/comedy/vlogs in between, Elvish Yadav’s one-liners, Vicky Jain’s infectious laughter, Ankita Lokhande’s dreamy charm, and the cooking skills of Aly Goni and Karan Kundrra. Nia Sharma and Tejaswi Prakash add the glamour. Interestingly, 90% of the time, Ankita Lokhande, Tejaswi Prakash, and Arjun Bijlani (whose mother is Maharashtrian) speak and argue in Marathi.
Thanks to the reference I went through, the studio team was very warm and seated us in the front row — a place that is usually a no-go for the audience because you are directly in the line of fire from Krushna, Bharti, and the contestants, who don’t spare anyone, including the audience with their pranks & jokes!
My wife was initially nervous, but the excitement soon took over. We said a silent prayer and settled in. The next three hours were pure laughter. The comic timing of every contestant, the mess they made while cooking, and the non-stop banter left us in splits. Nia, Ankita, and Tejaswi brought the glamour, while Krushna Abhishek was the undisputed star. His energy, jokes, one-liners, and expressions (even at the expense of his wife and co-contestants) were side-splitting. We didn’t feel hungry for the next five hours (including travel time). We just kept laughing.
I generally don’t enjoy cheap comedy, but this show is full of sharp, on-the-spot, and slapstick humour that genuinely tickles my funny bone.
If Krushna Abhishek is the star, no one can take away from the beautiful and entertaining Ankita Lokhande. When she’s in the mood, she’s pure gold. Samarth and Abhishek Kumar were slightly off that day but are usually hilarious too.
To our surprise, there was a celebrity guest — Rahul Roy of the iconic film Aashiqui. The contestants had casual, intimate conversations with him (which we could clearly hear from just 50 metres away) and even playfully teased him. He took it all in good spirit. Later, my fellow Nagpurkar, singer Rahul Vaidya, made a special appearance in place of Sudesh Lehri, who was absent due to prior commitments.
Overall, it was an incredible experience. What a show and what a memorable time we had! Prime Focus was originally supposed to host only one episode, but due to the massive response and ratings, the show has now become a permanent fixture every Wednesday at their studio.
Kudos to the writers, cameramen, floor team, makers, and the entire Laughter Chefs crew. I’m not missing any episodes now. In fact, my wife and I have started rewatching previous seasons when the show is off air.
My wife was thrilled (though I still didn’t get away with the gift!), and my surprise was a huge success.
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi.
