Mukesh Khanna calls Asgar Ali's drag character 'awkward'; actor-comedian responds
What's the story
Actor Ali Asgar, recognized for his roles on The Kapil Sharma Show, has defended his portrayal of characters in drag following criticism from veteran actor Mukesh Khanna.
During a YouTube chat, Khanna labeled Asgar's character as "(fuhad) awkward."
In response to the critique, Asgar stated, "It's your personal opinion...I can't say anything."
Asgar played a dadi (grandmother) on Comedy Nights with Kapil from 2013 to 2016 and on TKSS from 2016 to 2017.
Role justification
Asgar explained the reasoning behind male actors in female roles
Justifying his portrayal of female characters, Asgar explained, "People always ask why they make a boy into a girl."
"The reason for it, from my understanding, is that nobody's dadi (grandmother) will be like me. She wouldn't be that energetic."
He further elaborated, "Timing of our shootings would be very skewed. We used to shoot very late in the night...Now, in all this, if you make a senior actor dadi then she'd have a tough time shooting."
Reaction
'That's not the right reason...': Khanna disagreed with Ali's reason
Khanna interrupted Ali and responded, "That's not the right reason, do heroines not work raat raat bhar (on night shifts)?"
Ali continued, "My second reason is, when we make a boy into a woman, then it is not an original character by itself. Hence, we can take a lot of creative liberty and do a lot of masti (fun)."
"Since the character is not original, there is nothing to get offended about."
Show reflections
Asgar reflected on his time on 'The Kapil Sharma Show'
Reflecting on his tenure on the show, Asgar described it as a family enamored with glamor, featuring various underdog characters.
He said, "There is a dadi, there are these two sisters, Gutthi (Sunil Grover) plays, there is a servant and a wife. It is a poor family, they don't have money, they are kangaal (broke)."
"All the characters that we played on the show, we were all underdogs. Before making fun of someone else we would make fun of ourselves."
Show appreciation
Asgar praised Sharma's comedic skills and understanding
Further, Asgar lauded the host Kapil Sharma for his comedic prowess and keen understanding of audience preferences.
He stated, "Kapil's knowledge is phenomenal, he knows the pulse of the audience."
"He knows exactly which jokes will work and which will fall flat. We've seen it in live shows, what he used to say would happen. He is blessed in that way," Ali concluded.