Mumbai, Dec. 6: If Navjyot Singh Sidhu goes to jail, what happens to his Sidhuisms?

They go to jail, too.

For the men who have made the former batsman a household name on TV, it’s something that must be hurting them the most. It would mean no more one-liners. No more witty — though some would differ — wisecracks that came as, Sidhu would say it, “crisp as a cracker”.

Rajesh Kamat, the managing director of Endemol India, the producers of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC), however, says it’s too early to panic. “We have a bank of a few episodes. We (STAR TV and Endemol) will meet Sidhu and decide on the next course of action soon. As far as the idea of replacing him is concerned, we will cross the bridge, when it comes.

“The case has been on for 18 years and it hasn’t affected Sidhu as a brand. So I don’t see why it should be any different now,” Kamat says.

Industry experts don’t agree. “Why would any broadcaster risk putting Sidhu on air? It’s bad publicity. Sony and Max are sure to replace him,” says an insider.

An actor who has worked with Sidhu says if the Supreme Court upholds the sentence, Sidhu’s career as a media professional “is over”.

An industry insider revealed that Sidhu’s contract with STAR was renewed six months ago for 20 episodes. The good news, he added, was that all the episodes have been shot. Sidhu’s earnings from the show is said to be about Rs 4 lakh per episode.

However, one aspect of the show goes against Sidhu. STAR and Endemol have experimented with different hosts — first it was Shekhar Suman and then Sidhu was added. So a replacement should not affect the show much. But what it will surely miss is his “witty wisecracks”, says a TGILC team member. “He is very good on that front.”

Sidhu’s commitments as commentator for the World Cup in March will also be affected if the sentence is upheld. He was part of the Set Max team on the recent Champions Trophy and was also scheduled to be part of the panel during the World Cup.