Rajiv Thakur recalls discovering Bharti Singh's iconic character during Zonal competition; says 'Isko naam maine diya Lalli'

Rajiv Thakur has been a mentor to Bharti Singh, not only did Kapil and he mentored her, but they also discovered Bharti's hidden talent. Recently, during a candid chat on a podcast with Bharti Singh and her husband, Harsh Limbachiya, Rajiv opened up about a special memory from those early days.
He spoke about the time he discovered Bharti’s iconic ‘Lalli’ character, the one that went on to become a fan favorite. Back then, Rajiv and Sudesh Lehri and Kapil Sharma mentored Bharti during her theatre days at DAV College in Amritsar.
Rajiv recalled how he once challenged Kapil to come and see Bharti perform as Lalli, convinced she had something truly special. And he was right. Bharti still remembers that support and credits Rajiv for believing in her talent when it mattered most.
Rajiv also shared a heartwarming memory from their theatre days, a moment that truly stayed with him. He recalled overhearing Bharti during a rehearsal, casually mimicking an uncle’s voice in the middle of a scene. What caught his attention wasn’t just the impression but the way she effortlessly slipped into the Lalli voice, full of innocence and charm, even without any punchlines. It was raw, natural talent.
Later, that same character came to life on stage during a zonal competition. Rajiv had put together a skit featuring Bharti, and despite facing stiff competition from colleges in nearby regions, their performance stood out. The skit ended up securing second place, a proud moment that marked the beginning of something bigger.
Rajiv shared, 'There was no punch in her lines; it was just Lalli's voice that had a ticklish feeling. Right after that, there was a zonal contest in which my skit scored second place for the first time. Everyone was disheartened because the zonal is between Amritsar and Gurdaspur (in Punjab), while the finals will also have Jalandhar competing with us. They thought, how will we win there?'
He further shared his conversation with Bharti; he quipped, "I said, ‘What were you doing?’. She was so scared and said, ‘Kuch nahi kar rahi thi (I wasn’t doing anything)’. I swear on my mom, I haven’t done anything. All of them were scared that sir had heard everything. I said, ‘Do again whatever you were doing. ’ She fell on my feet and kept saying, ‘I didn’t do anything, they made me do it’."
Rajiv then encouraged Bharti to perform it, "I told her that I liked it, I can get you the first position if you do it. I took half an hour only to write her part again. I kept only Bharti’s act for a good five minutes, which was actually supposed to be a minute. Isko naam maine diya Lalli (I gave her the name). I asked her to laugh to deliver the punch, I gave her a laugh before the joke."
Rajiv also revealed that Kapil was also kept on seeing Bharti perform Lalli back then, "Yes, Kapil bhai said that I am only here from Jalandhar to see your act. I also want to see who this girl is on whom Rajiv is putting so much money. He was actually rolling on the floor laughing by the end of the act."

As they recalled the old days, Bharti shared how she was the only one in her college who wasn't from a financially influential background. Amid all kids of MLAs, Political leaders and renowned personalities she would go to college as a simple girl. While other girls would come in their expensive cars and be all prim and proper, she would wear 'sada suit' and no makeup to college. But her talent spoke volumes for her when Rajiv, Sudesh and Kapil began mentoring.