Kiku Sharda says 70% of Kapil Sharma’s show is scripted: ‘Salman Khan impossible to predict’

3 min readMumbaiJul 14, 2026 03:55 PM IST

Kiku Sharda also spoke about working with Salman Khan, saying it is impossible to predict what will make the actor laugh.

Kapil Sharma has been making India laugh on prime-time television for over a decade. While he and his team have since made the transition from television to streaming with The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix, their ability to entertain audiences remains as strong as ever. Recently, comedian Kiku Sharda, who has been a part of Kapil’s team since the very beginning, opened up about how much of the show is scripted and how much relies on improvisation.

‘70% script, while 30% is spontaneous’

Speaking to Prakhar Gupta, Kiku explained that the team intentionally avoids revealing jokes or punchlines to celebrity guests beforehand in order to capture their genuine reactions. “Very frankly, we want genuine reactions. We don’t want the guests to know the punchlines, the jokes or the characters in advance. We want them to experience those characters for the first time on stage, because that’s when we get the most authentic reactions. So, now everyone simply goes with the flow.”

Elaborating on the show’s creative process, Kiku said that while there is a script, the team often departs from it depending on how conversations unfold during filming. “Broadly speaking, there is a script and we do follow it. But only up to a point. Sometimes it’s impossible to stick to it because a celebrity takes the conversation in a completely new direction. Sometimes a different thought strikes you in the moment, and you improvise. I’d say it’s roughly a 70-30 split. Around 70% follows the script, while 30% is completely spontaneous.”

Recalling his experience of performing alongside Salman Khan, Kiku said the actor’s reactions are often impossible to predict. “With Salman Khan especially, you never know what’s going to make him laugh. Sometimes you’ve planned a line thinking, ‘This is going to be hilarious,’ and he barely reacts. Then someone says something completely unexpected in the middle, and that’s what gets him. Once he starts laughing, he just can’t stop. Tears start rolling down his eyes and he’s completely gone.”

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‘Kapil Sharma is a master at handling improvisations’

Kiku also spoke about what happens when a joke fails to land, crediting Kapil Sharma for effortlessly steering the show back on track. “But Kapil Sharma is a master at handling those situations. He has this instinct for knowing when something isn’t working. I’ve always said that sometimes a bit lands beautifully, and sometimes it simply doesn’t. When it doesn’t, you can’t just keep standing there pretending it’s working.”

He further added that Kapil often relies on spontaneous humour to smoothly move the show forward without making the moment feel uncomfortable. “Kapil will immediately step in with something completely off-script. He might say, ‘I told you this wouldn’t work,’ or crack a line that naturally gives the actor an exit. He finds a way to move the show forward without making it feel awkward. He handles those situations beautifully. After 13 years of working together, we’ve reached a point where we almost know what’s going on in each other’s heads.”