Comedian and television host Bharti Singh has spoken candidly about the work ethic that has defined her two-decade career on Indian television, saying she has never drawn a line between shows she owns and shows she was hired to perform on. Her remarks came ahead of the launch of Indian Game Show with Bharti and Harssh, a new format she is co-producing and hosting with her husband, writer-producer Harssh Limbachiyaa.

The philosophy behind the performance

Bharti, who has fronted some of the most-watched comedy and reality formats on Indian television, said audience love — not ownership — is what drives her on stage. “I don’t know whether I am a big face for television or not, but whatever I am, I am because of your love,” she said. “I have never looked at another show and thought that it wasn’t mine.”

She explained that her experience as a producer has deepened her respect for every project she touches. “I know, as a producer, how difficult it is when money is invested in a show. So, whether it was a reality show or any other show I have worked on, I have never thought, ‘It’s not ours, we’ll somehow manage.’”

Once she steps onto the stage, Bharti said, questions of ownership dissolve entirely. “When I come on stage, I forget everything about whether this is my show or someone else’s. Then I just feel that this is all of our show, and all of us have to work hard on it together.”

Comparing her craft to raising a child

Bharti drew a striking parallel between her professional commitment and parenthood. “I have put as much of myself into my show as I have into the other shows I have done on television. Just as you love your own child, I have nurtured someone else’s child with the same love and hard work,” she said. The analogy is notably personal: Bharti and Harssh are parents, and the comparison underscores how seriously she takes projects that are not her own on paper.

Harssh Limbachiyaa on building an 'unbreakable' format

For Harssh Limbachiyaa, who has spent years as a writer and creative director across multiple television productions, the new show is a consolidation of everything he has learned. “I have written a lot of shows in my life, worked on many shows as a creative person, and worked on many shows as a writer. After understanding all these aspects, I was looking for a format that was unbreakable, one that had everything in it,” he said.

He described the core concept as a deliberate break from the rigidity that constrains most Indian game formats. “With 90% of shows, the issue is that you have a particular format and you have to stick to it. Here, rather than sticking to the format, we are more focused on our fun and masti. Wherever we find fun, that’s where we go,” Harssh said.

What to expect from Indian Game Show with Bharti and Harssh

Indian Game Show with Bharti and Harssh promises a blend of games, celebrity guests, live audience participation, comedy, and spontaneous interactions. The format is designed to be flexible enough to evolve episode by episode, with the couple’s on-screen chemistry serving as the anchor. This marks the duo’s first major outing as producers and hosts simultaneously — a step up from their earlier collaborative appearances on other networks’ properties.

With the show’s launch on the horizon, all eyes will be on whether the ‘master format’ Harssh envisioned can translate into consistent ratings — and whether Bharti’s trademark warmth can carry a property she now owns outright.