Indian comedy shows dry, monotonous: Mahesh

New Delhi: Over the years, he has tickled the audience's funny bone through shows like 'Tu Tu Main Main' and 'Shararat', but actor Mahesh Thakur believes that the Indian small screen is currently suffering a dry spell as far as comedy shows are concerned.

"I don't watch Indian comedy shows at all. They are all dried up and monotonous in their style and presentation... they are doing the same thing over and over again. It is time we did some intelligent humour," Mahesh told IANS.

He prefers to watch foreign sitcoms like 'Seinfeld' and 'Friends', which have their fair share of intelligence with comedy. On the homefront, he sorely misses shows like 'Dekh Bhai Dekh' and 'Tu Tu Main Main'.

Currently, the small screen has reality shows like 'Comedy Circus' and 'Nautanki: The Comedy Theatre' on offer in the humour space, while the fiction space has entertainers like 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', 'Jeannie aur Juju' and 'Hum Aapke Hai In-Laws'.

Mahesh, who has had a balanced career in films and TV, has no plan of featuring a comedy show as of now. But he is happy being a part of Sahara One's 'Ghar Aja Pardesi', in which he plays a father, caught in a generation gap with his own father.

"It is about the homecoming of a man who goes and settles in London," said Thakur.

In real life, Mahesh studied MBA in the U.S., and admits that when he was going there, he never thought he would come back.

"But when you're there, you start missing the little joys of being with family, you miss home," said the actor, who started acting at the age of 22.

Does he now guide young actors?

"If they come to me to ask something, then definitely, I'll guide them," said Mahesh, who is also geared up for new film projects like 'Aashiqui 2', 'Satya 2' and another film with Suneel Darshan.