Sunil Pal Says He Felt ‘Cornered Like Abhimanyu’ on ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’; Claims Navjot Singh Sidhu and Archana Puran Singh Favoured Samay Raina

Veteran comedian Sunil Pal has publicly accused the makers and judges of The Great Indian Kapil Show of favouritism and orchestration following a controversial episode featuring internet personalities Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia. In an explosive interview with content creator Suraj Kumar, Pal claimed that he was "cornered like Abhimanyu" during the Netflix show and that his presence was merely used to boost ratings while the platform prioritised highlighting younger stars. ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’: Samay Raina and Sunil Pal’s Viral Face-Off Stuns Fans.

Sunil Pal Opens Up About His Experience on ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’

The Laughter Challenge winner revealed that he accepted the invitation because it was Kapil Sharma’s platform, but the reality on set was vastly different from what he was promised. Pal claimed he had prepared a 15-minute stand-up sketch that had been finalised by the show’s director, Anukalp Goswami, yet he was never given the chance to perform it.  "I was told to come and do a stand-up segment, not even an interview," Pal stated.

"After I reached there, I got to know that these two [Samay and Ranveer] were also there. I didn’t get a chance to perform my stand-up act. They even cut out the few jokes I cracked."

Allegations of Pre-Planned Favouritism

Pal suggested that the episode was "fixed" to salvage the image of Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia following recent online controversies. He alleged that the audience was influenced to react only to the guest duo while ignoring his contributions.  "Eventually it’s a Netflix show, and they thought their stars are going through a downfall, so Netflix wanted to highlight them," Pal remarked. "It all became one-sided... people were told purposely not to laugh at my jokes and give extreme reactions to the other person’s smallest joke."

Sunil Pals Critique of Navjot Singh Sidhu and Archana Puran Singh

The comedian specifically called out the judging panel for what he described as blatant bias. He expressed shock at Navjot Singh Sidhu’s enthusiastic reaction to Samay Raina’s performance, contrasting it with Archana Puran Singh’s lack of response.  "Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been listening to comedians for 20 years, reacted to a small joke from Samay, saying, 'Too good, you are the next Kapil,'" Pal claimed.

"Even Archana was not laughing at that joke; she is someone who, if paid, will also laugh at the wind. But if she didn’t laugh, then I felt there was some planning."

Watch Sunil Pals Interview With Suraj Kumar:

The tension between Pal and Raina stems from India’s Got Latent controversy, where Pal previously slammed Raina for using "abusive language" and even referred to him as a "terrorist of the comedy genre." While the two have collaborated professionally in the past, Pal admitted he was "not mentally prepared" for the level of roasting he faced during the Kapil Sharma episode. Sunil Pal Breaks Silence After Being Stopped From Speaking on Stage at Shayari Event in Mumbai, Says ‘I Feel Insulted’.

Despite the harsh words, Pal clarified that he holds no personal grudge against Raina, noting that the younger comedian remains respectful off-camera and often touches his feet. Neither Netflix nor the show's producers have issued a formal response to Pal’s allegations of scripted bias.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 12, 2026 12:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).