Sonal Panvar: Working on Happu ki Ultan Paltan has been the most beautiful experience of my life

MUMBAI: There are some projects which are very close to your heart, and one such show for actress Sonal Panvar is Binaiferr and Sanjay Kohli's Happu ki Ultan Platan. She adds that there is no greater joy in making someone laugh.
“My experience has been quite amazing so far. Honestly, I never imagined myself doing a comedy show, but now that I am, and it’s working well, I feel it has been the most beautiful experience of my life. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from doing comedy is patience. Comedy teaches you patience, both in the show and in general life. It helps you appreciate the little things in life, which you might not even realize are funny until you perform them. You might say something in your everyday life and not realize how funny it can be until you see it bring a smile to someone’s face. When you perform it in a comedy show and see the audience’s reaction, you understand how those small moments hold value,” she says.

Ask her if she feels that her comedic style might not be accepted by audiences, and she says, “I would say the biggest takeaway from this experience is that if you can smile at whatever is happening around you, it becomes funny. This gives you a new perspective on life. As for my style of comedy, I was really scared in the beginning because it was something I had never tried before, and I didn’t even think I would. But once I started doing it, things worked out smoothly. The beauty of my show is that no one overacts. Everyone is very natural, including me, and that’s what makes the comedy work. I didn’t have to try too hard; I just said things in my own language, naturally, and they ended up being funny.”

She adds, “I wasn’t worried about whether the audience would accept it, because I knew that the show was already popular. Sometimes, comedy doesn’t connect with the audience because too much effort is put into it. I believe comedy doesn’t need that. It’s all around us, in our day-to-day lives. You don’t need to pretend to be extraordinary to make people laugh. It should come from within, from a very natural place. And you have to be careful not to go over the top, because that’s not how it works. Comedy works best when it’s simple and relatable, not when it’s forced.”

Talking about the different layers of comedy, she says, “In terms of comedy, there are many layers to it, but I really enjoy the kind of comedy I’m doing right now. You don’t have to go over-the-top with everything. Natural conversations can become humorous, and that’s what I think true comedy is. There are different styles of comedy, and I would love to try loud, theatrical comedy on stage. But on television or in front of the camera, I prefer to keep it more subtle to connect with the audience better.”

Talking about working with producers Binaiferr and Sanjay Kohli, she says, “Working with my producers, Binaiferr Kohli Ma'am and Sanjay Kohli Sir has been an amazing experience as well. They manage everything so smoothly, and the environment on set is very comfortable. The way they handle the schedule and manage so many people is just superb. They’re running some of the biggest shows on the same channel, and yet everything feels easy and smooth on set. I also love how caring and supportive they are. If anyone has a problem, even if you call them at 4 AM, they’ll pick up the phone and help.”