Gopal Dutt: ‘Audience ready to enjoy different forms of comedy’

Gopal Dutt

Collaborations often lead to deep friendships. For Gopal Dutt, his long-standing relationship with stand-up comic Zakir Khan was a key reason to join Aapka Apna Zakir. The actor serves as one of the performers on the comedy show. Having previously worked with Khan on Farzi Mushaira (2022) and Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare (2018-24), among others, Dutt says his familiarity with the team and the fascinating content was a major draw. "When Zakir told me such a show was happening, I just had to do it. Television has an exciting pace and I hadn't explored it yet," says Dutt.

A show like Aapka Apna Zakir relies as much on the writing as it does on the performers. Dutt says that the actors often sit down with the writers to add to the material. "There is a big writers' room; they create a structure. In the reading session, we add our inputs and improvise. They create the characters and the performer adds his bit and personality to the content."

Dutt, who has featured in popular OTT shows like The Office (2019) and Kaalkoot (2023), agrees that TV may seem restrictive compared to digital entertainment. But he argues that it has a big advantage - the ability to reach a broader audience. "On the web, the target audience are youngsters. However, TV has a wider audience. Here, we have to keep the humour generic so that anyone watching, irrespective of their age, can enjoy it." Considering comedian Kapil Sharma's show, which has a similar format, has been hugely popular with the audience, Dutt is proud that Khan has brought his unique style to the offering. "It's a change for the audience also because [Sharma's show] has been going on for years. His show has set an audience, who are now ready to enjoy different forms of comedy."