The Great Indian Laughter Challenge is a very successful Indian reality shows which encompasses stand up comedians in a competitive setting. The programme is telecast on STAR One. The fourth season of the show was launched on June 6, 2008. The Great Indian Laughter Challenge was produced by Endemol India, for the Indian audience.
After running through three seasons, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, launched its latest fourth season on June 6, 2008. The stand-up comedians and performers participate from various regions and showcase their skills to judges and live audiences. The comedians are skilled in different types of humour like satire, observational humor, issue based jokes, mimicry and so on. The Great Indian Laughter Challenge had proved to be one of the best forms to genuine and pure comedy on the TV screens. This show eventually became a big hit as it was able to relate to the masses of India and abroad as well.
Navjot Singh Sidhu, a famous former Indian cricketer and commentator, along with Shekhar Suman, a celebrated TV personality judged the show in the initial seasons. The fourth season features Judges Navjot Singh Sidhu and popular actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has replaced Shekhar Suman. Parizaad Kolah Marshall hosted the preliminary episodes but was later replaced by Shonali Nagrani. Renowned designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai designed the show`s set.
In the earlier seasons, The Great Indian laughter challenge showcased exceptional talent from Pakistan which enhanced relationships between India and Pakistan. The entertainment channel Star One plays a vital role in this context and proved as one of the most entertaining platforms. Due to the overwhelming response and acceptance from Pakistan, in the fourth season, The Great Indian laughter challenge had gone International. The competition was accessible to viewers in US, Canada, UK and selected countries in the Middle East.
The Great Indian laughter challenge has reached beyond any comparison today, more than a show it has turned into a movement of good humor. From local colloquial jokes to Boardroom satire, to other jokes and skids are performed exceptionally on the show. Participants are also judged through public voting to determine the final winner.
In the first season of The Great Indian laughter challenge, Sunil Pal was the winner whereas Ahsaan Qureshi was a close second. The famous comedian Raju Sribastav has also gained recognition from the show. In the second season, contestants from Pakistan had participated and the winner Rauf Lala was also from Pakistan.
The third season was won by Kapil Sharma and Chandan Prabhakar from Amritsar. Pervez Siddqui who was a strong participant was from Pakistan. The judges for the grand finale included Umer Sharif, the legendary Pakistani performer. The third season, preceded by the first two seasons of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge also included top performers of the previous shows. Some celebrity guests had also participated as guest judges as well.
The fourth season features Judges Navjot Singh Sidhu and popular actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, as Shekhar Suman was replaced. Celebrity judges make regular appearances, primarily to promote their upcoming films, but also to experience the outstanding performances by the participating comedians. In the fourth season, a woman stand-up comedian, Aarti Kandpal, took part as well. The Great Indian laughter challenge was a unique attempt as this was the first of its kind stand-up show in India. The fourth venture looked as fresh as the past ones.
The winners of the fourth season were, Suresh Albela from Rajasthan, Sikandar Sanam and Wali Sheikh from Karachi, Pakistan, Bharti Singh from Punjab, Rasbihari Gaur from Rajasthan and few others.