The making of the sitcom..Ranvir Vinay aur Kaun

Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shourie are names synonymous with comedy. However, one man that often brings out the best in these funnymen is Shashant Singh. Shashant, who directed The Great Indian Comedy Show, has now joined hands with Vinay Pathak to form a production company, Lemon Tea. And come this Monday, it will be served hot in the form of Ranvir, Vinay aur kaun? (RVK) - a new interview based weekly sitcom on Star One at 10.p.m. Speaking on this development, Shashant says "Vinay and I know each other since 1990. We have worked together for shows such as 'Apni tuning jamegi', Jodi No.1 and Lal Gulab. Thus it was natural for us to come out with this venture." Commenting on the show, he replied "RVK is my first daily show. Humour in Indian television mainly revolves around stand-up comedy. I wanted to move away from it. Thus, I thought why not replace stand-up comedy with a fun-filled interview coupled with gags". Stepping into new shoes, actor, producer Vinay says, "I feel no additional pressure as a producer. My friend Shashant takes away all my worries thus I can merely concentrate on my acting." When queried on the USP of the show, Vinay Pathak stated "I don't know about the USP. All I know is that Ranvir and I love to hang out. We love being ourselves. Above all, we'll make our guest feel very comfortable." His partner in crime, Ranvir added " RVK is an experiment. It's isn't like Koffee with Karan. Our interviews will be completely informal. In our show, you get to know that little extra about the guest." Even though it's not yet on air, cynics have drawn similarities between RVK and UK's Kumars at No.42. However, producer Shashant defends his show saying "We haven't copied from them. Unlike RVK, the anchors of Kumars.. appear to be portraying characters than being themselves." Ranvir chides "The concept of a fun-filled interview isn't an exclusive one. Every show has its own energy. Thus it's unfair to draw similarities." The Ranvir Vinay jodi has been delighting viewers for over a decade. When asked about their chemistry, Ranvir replied, "This chemistry exists once you've worked together for a long time. I've been with him for almost 10 years. But let me remind you, maine uske saath sirf kaam kiya hai, shaadi nahi ki (I've worked with Vinay but haven't married him". Laughs! If you thought that RVK is going to all about the two hosts and their guest, you're in for a pleasant surprise. The team of Comedy ha ha, the show which is replaced by RVK, will continue enacting their funny gags. The likes of Purbi Joshi, Suresh Menon, Kiku, Gaurav Gera, Kunal Kumar will be very much part of this show. In addition to them, two new faces, Trishla Patel and Pravesh, have joined the crew. But the successful contestants of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge will not be seen on RVK. Commenting on their role, Purbi Joshi said "RVK has replaced Comedy ha ha but there's no change in our roles. We'll continue with our spoofs and other funny gags. Kiku chipped in "It's a new show so except us to play new characters as well." Often it's the actors who walk away with the credit. However, Shashant Singh wants the real heroes (scriptwriters) to get their due. "I have never seen a better script writer than Arshad Syed in the last 15 years. I attribute the success of my shows to him." The content team of RVK includes Arshad Syed, Mahesh Ramchandani and Rahul Varun. All creditors have been credited but the success of RVK will be determined by the viewers. However, producer Vinay Pathak isn't overtly concerned with this. "My only priority as an actor is to consistently bring out the child in me." Apparently, Vinay and Ranvir have been like this for the best part of their career. The only thing that is remained to be seen is whether the duo will show some maturity on Ranvir, Vinay aur Kaun? But that looks unlikely…. At least for now.