Kapil Sharma is basically the only person in India who can make a billionaire like Narayana Murthy and a superstar like Salman Khan feel equally awkward and at home at the same time. Honestly, by the time The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 3 rolled around on Netflix in June 2025, the stakes were high. People weren't just looking for jokes; they were looking for that old television magic in a streaming world that moves way too fast.
The third season felt different. It wasn't just another batch of episodes. It was a massive experiment in whether a format built for the slow-burning world of cable TV could actually survive the ruthless "skip intro" culture of a global streaming giant.
The Big Return of the "Khatak" King
You can't talk about Season 3 without mentioning the elephant in the room—or rather, the lion in the chair. Navjot Singh Sidhu’s return was easily the biggest headline. After years of Archana Puran Singh holding down the fort (and enduring endless "throne" jokes), having Sidhu back felt like a glitch in the Matrix for long-time fans.
Sidhu didn't just walk back in; he brought that vintage energy. The shayaris were back. The "Khatak" was back. It sorta shifted the dynamic of the whole stage. Even though Archana stayed on as a permanent fixture, the chemistry between Kapil and Sidhu felt like no time had passed at all. It was nostalgic, sure, but it also raised a lot of questions about how the cast hierarchy was shifting behind the scenes.
A Cast That Costs a Fortune
Let’s be real: this show is expensive. Reports from early 2026 suggest Kapil Sharma was pulling in roughly ₹5 crore per episode. That’s wild. When you add in Sunil Grover—who reportedly matched his Season 3 earnings because he’s basically the show’s secret weapon—and the rest of the gang, the budget for a single season is higher than many Bollywood films.
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The lineup stayed solid:
- Sunil Grover: Playing everything from "Dafli" to a hilarious Salman Khan mimic.
- Krushna Abhishek: Bringing that chaotic energy as various characters, including a very loud Shah Rukh Khan parody.
- Kiku Sharda: Usually the one taking the physical comedy hits.
- Rajiv Thakur: The guy who everyone pretends to ignore, but who actually keeps the pacing tight.
Why Season 3 Took a Weird Turn with "Superfans"
One of the most polarizing moves in The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 3 was the introduction of "Superfans." Netflix and the showrunners decided to open the floor to regular people with "atrangi" (unique) talents.
Some people loved it. They saw a painter use his tongue to draw Salman Khan's portrait in the premiere, which was... memorable, to say the least. But for others, it felt like a bit of a filler. When you have global stars like Jackson Wang or business titans like Aman Gupta on the couch, do you really want to spend ten minutes watching a fan do bird calls? It was a gamble. It showed that the makers were feeling the pressure to make the show "interactive" for a global audience across 192 countries, but it didn't always land.
The Salman Khan Factor
Opening the season with Salman Khan was a masterstroke. Period. He was candid. He joked about Aamir Khan's marriages (which was actually pretty spicy for Indian TV standards). He laughed until he cried during Sunil Grover’s act. But even with "Bhai" kicking things off, the viewership numbers told a complicated story.
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The Numbers Game: Is the Hype Fading?
Here’s the truth that most PR teams won't tell you. Despite the star power, Season 3 saw a dip. By July 2025, reports indicated a significant decline in viewership compared to the explosive first season.
- Season 1 Opening: 2.4 million views (Ranbir Kapoor episode).
- Season 2 Opening: 1.2 million views (Alia Bhatt episode).
- Season 3 Opening: 1.6 million views (Salman Khan episode).
It seems the "Netflix novelty" started wearing off. People realized they couldn't just have the show running in the background while cooking dinner like they did with Sony TV. Netflix requires active "appointment viewing" or binge-watching, and comedy sketches don't always translate perfectly to that "one-more-episode" itch. Kapil himself even joked during one taping about the pressure from Netflix, saying, "Hisaab dena hota hai" (You have to give an account of everything).
What Most People Get Wrong About the Format
People keep waiting for the show to "go back to how it was." It won't. The shift from 52-episode television marathons to 13 or 14-episode "seasonal" drops is a massive change.
Netflix doesn't want quantity; they want "moments" that go viral on Reels and TikTok. That’s why we see more adult humor now. Even though the show is rated U/A 13+, some of the gags between Sunil Grover’s characters and Kapil have moved into "suggestive" territory. It’s a bit of a tightrope walk—trying to keep the "parivaar" (family) audience while appealing to the edgier Gen Z crowd.
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The Legacy of Season 3
By the time the finale aired on September 20, 2025, with Akshay Kumar promoting Jolly LLB 3, the show had firmly established its new identity. It's no longer a "TV show" that happens to be on the internet. It’s a high-gloss, high-budget variety program.
The season gave us some gems:
- The "Business Gamechangers" episode with Ritesh Agarwal and Aman Gupta offered a surprisingly human look at India's tech giants.
- The "Coach and the Cricketers" episode reminded us why Kapil and cricketers are a match made in heaven.
- The return of Navjot Singh Sidhu proved that some chemistry is just permanent.
Your Next Steps for The Great Indian Kapil Show
If you've missed out on the Season 3 run, don't just jump into random clips. The best way to experience it is to watch the Salman Khan premiere and the Business Gamechangers episodes back-to-back. They represent the two different souls of the show—the Bollywood madness and the new-age "aspirational" India.
Once you're caught up, keep an eye on the Season 4 archives. The show is moving faster now, with shorter breaks and more "Global Indian" guests like Priyanka Chopra. The era of waiting years for a comeback is over; Kapil is now a permanent resident of the Netflix ecosystem.