Kapil Sharma's show might be pulled off air

Apparently, 'Comedy Nights With Kapil' will be replaced with a 'roast' and new hosts, as the channel cannot afford him anymore

Speculations on the fate of Kapil Sharma's comedy show have been swirling around for quite some time since the funnyman is currently nursing a back injury. On July 10, hitlist had reported that Comedy Nights With Kapil would go on with a few Bollywood faces hosting one episode each till Kapil gets back on his feet.

Also read: Arshad Warsi hosts 'Comedy Nights With Kapil'

Madhuri Dixit and (below) Bharti Singh are said to be part of the new show

Now we hear the channel has decided to pull the plug on the show and replace it with a 'roast' featuring other stand-up comics. Reason? A source says, "The show's TRPs are no longer impressive while Kapil continues to be paid a whopping fee per episode. So the channel officials have made up their mind to pull it off air and introduce a new show called 'Comedy Nights Roast' in its place. That will be telecast from August.

Also read: Kapil Sharma to take a break from 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' 

Bharti Singh

The new programme will feature stand-up comics Krushna Abhishek, Sudesh Lehri and Bharti Singh, suggest sources. "They have decided to retain the 'Comedy Nights' title for the audience connect.

Madhuri Dixit is likely to be seen as the permanent celeb guest, like Navjot Singh Sidhu used to be a constant fixture on Kapil's show. The promo will be shot in a day or two," says a source.

An insider reveals that Kapil was paid around Rs 40 lakh a day while the new hosts have accepted a daily compensation of Rs 5-6 lakh, thereby enabling the channel to save on a lot of money and risk launching another show.

Also read: Upasana Singh: Nothing definite about fate of Kapil's show 

Officials of the channel and Optimystix, the new production house on board, remained unavailable for comment.

A source close to Kapil Sharma, however, insists that the channel will not pull his show off air and is currently trying to figure out how to accommodate two comedy shows in the same week.

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