Abijit Ganguly: Anu Malik's selection as a judge has been a running gag

Abijit Ganguly

Comedy is serious business. No wonder eyebrows were raised when Anu Malik was announced as one of the judges on Comedy Dangal, the show that sees a face-off between stand-up and sketch comedy. Bharti Singh joins the composer on the judges' panel.

Abijit Ganguly, an emerging talent in the stand-up comedy circuit and a participant on 'Comedy Dangal', says it is absurd to have a composer judging the show. "From the press conference to the episodes, Anu Malik's selection as a judge has been a running gag. Bharti keeps tripping on it," he says.

Anu Malik

Ganguly, who was in news recently for accusing Kiku Sharda of plagiarism, is not too happy about Malik's inclusion in an area where, he thinks, the latter lacks expertise. "After talking so much about plagiarism, it's ironic that I'm being judged by a composer, who is known for plagiarism," he laughs.

He reasons that since stand-up comedy is in its nascent stages in the country, the producers are still trying to give it a definite form. "There are actors on the show doing sketch comedy, but are not exactly comedians. So the lines are blurred."

Malik, on his part, says being a comedy show judge was a "natural transition" for him. "Comedy is in my genes," he states.