After wannabe singers and dancers, it's time to make way for comedians to jump on the reality show bandwagon.
Comedy Circus, the new reality show planned by Sony Entertainment Television will have stand-up comedians teaming up with telly actors in an attempt to make judges Archana Puran Singh and Omar Shariff as well as the viewers at home laugh.
This series will have the stand-up comedians teaching the celebrities the dos and don'ts of comedy. After that, the teams would then have to perform a gag or a skit.
The 13-episode show will have eight teams, with each team being eliminated every week. As with other reality shows, the results will be based on the judges' and viewers' votes.
TV personalities include Kiran Karmarkar of Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Ali Asgar of Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Ketaki Dave of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and Karishma Tanha seen in Kyunki Saas and Ek Ladkii Anjani Sion.
Gushing over the chance to star in a reality series, Kiran Karmarkar says, "I was very excited when they told me about this show. I agreed immediately as it has a different concept. I will perform with Sunil Sabra. For the first time viewers will see some stars, who have never tried comedy, do so on this show."
Ali Asgar, on the other hand, was intrigued by the concept. "The idea is to make people laugh," he says. "It gives the participants an opportunity to create their own gags, write their own scripts and perform. I will perform with Kasif Khan from Pakistan."
However, not everyone was excited. "When they first told me about the show, I did not want to do it," says Ketaki Dave. "But the production house kept calling and finally, I gave in. It will be challenging to make others laugh." She will be paired with Prathap Faujdar.
Karishma Tanha has already started rehearsing for the show, with partner Kayili. "It is like Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (a celebrity dance competition). There, actors danced with choreographers whereas in Comedy Circus, you will see the actors doing comedy with established comedians," she says.
Whether they will succeed in making us laugh or not remains to be seen when the show kicks off on June 16.