India has never really managed to build a proper late-night talk show culture. Every few years, someone tries to revive the format, but most end up becoming celebrity interviews or carefully packaged conversations, instead of sharp political satire. The only host who truly came close was Shekhar Suman, with his Movers and Shakers (1997). Now, after returning with Shekhar Tonite in May, he claims to be doing political comedy again. But the first episode itself suggests that the show is less interested in satire and more in easy political punchlines, especially considering its first guest — Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The show started with jokes about the West Bengal Assembly election. “We don’t know whether achhe din will come or not, but for some politicians, their bad days have already begun,” Shekhar said, referring to the state’s former CM Mamata Banerjee. He then moved on to more jokes about her, saying that all of Mamata’s banners have now been replaced by that of the Adhikaris, laughing harder than the audience itself.He then went further, joking that the BJP spent only “10 taka” on Jhalmuri to win elections in Bengal, while it took “10,000” in Bihar. And he didn’t stop there. He said that in the election, not only Ram, but Babar also won, referring to Muslim politicians who were elected.
