Producer Abhigyan Jha has written films like Krishna Cottage and has created shows like Movers & Shakers, Jay Hind!, Qubool Hai 2.0, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and Janani – AI Ki Kahani, to name some, and is currently headlining Fsex – The Free Speech Experiment, a conversational, humorous live show that deals with a range of topics starting from politics to social issues and sports. Though he has created shows like this in the past, this is the first time he is hosting the show along with Sumit Kaul in each episode. The show streams on YouTube, and is available as podcast on Spotify and other similar apps, and the audience gets to vote on the topics that they want to discuss, which makes it even more unscripted.

He said, “I have already done shows like this. Over the years, whenever I did any of the shows, most of the comic ideas would come from me. Sometimes there were other writers who developed it, but my lines were just carried into it, or I passed it on to the actor who was doing it. So, people kept asking me, why don’t you do it yourself? But I didn’t want to do it because it doesn’t really interest me to stand up and crack jokes. As much as I don’t mind someone else doing it, I don’t see myself as somebody who stands there just to make people laugh. Also, in shows like Jai Hind! and Movers and Shakers, we had a band and a stage, so I like to do stand-up comedy in that way. I have never really enjoyed doing stand-up comedy holding a mic. That’s not my thing.”

“So, when I wanted to do it, I realized that the reason I’m able to be really funny and quick-witted is because I’m talking to someone. I’ve got a whole team of writers, 15-16 people sitting together; there is more cross-talk, and my wit and my cross-referencing survive on cross-talk. Because if only one person is talking, there is no feedback coming. Two people talking is much better, and when there are more people talking, you’ve got multiple things happening on which you can react on the spot. So when people talk and I talk back, then interesting things happen. We made it even more impromptu by not deciding on the topics in advance. So, I made it even harder on myself by making the topics to be chosen on the spot. It will be more electric, and there will be far more energy because nobody is prepared,” he added.

He went on to say that there is no Fsex without Sumit Kaul, who has been part of TV shows like Peshwa Bajirao, Chakravartin Ashok Samrat, 24, Tanaav, and Janani – AI Ki Kahani and is currently seen in Tenali Rama, along with movies like Bell Bottom and Article 370, among others.

Abhigyan said, “I am doing it because Sumit and I have always had great conversations, and I wanted people to experience what good conversation is. And include them in the fun we were having with even deep, dark topics. He has a completely different way of looking at life, and still we end up agreeing on so many things.”

“That’s one of the beautiful takeaways of FSEX—it never gets ugly, it is not a violent debate—even the aggressive parts are friendly, and no one goes away feeling they were not understood. You can see how the world is actually thriving with diametrically opposite viewpoints,” he added.

As far as the audience is concerned, they get to share their thoughts too. “Sumit and I talk to each other as well as with the live audience present. The audience is free to jump in, fact-check, and steer the conversation. In fact, the show starts with the audience choosing the topics for the day. As the audience, you are not just sitting there; you can contribute any time you want,” he said.

Abhigyan further shared that even if someone comes prepared with a topic, they don’t know if the rest of the audience will vote that topic in. “Nobody can really prepare. There cannot be an agenda. If somebody has an agenda, I will direct the conversation in such a way, from my side, that it will become agenda-free. So, to be agenda-free, to have multiple points of view at the same place, to react on the spot, to see how witty conversations can actually happen, because a conversation that’s not witty is not much fun,” he said.

He further revealed that they have done a total of five episodes of Fsex, and every time they have run out of time. “It has never happened that we have run out of conversation and people are wanting to leave, but we still have time to go. People are getting entertained for three hours in a row—imagine multi-crore films cannot hold audiences that way anymore. I know it’s still not big enough, but whoever is coming here is getting the time of their life. It is unscripted. It is intelligent. It is witty. It is funny. And it is without any filter,” Abhigyan ended.