01 · The premise
In the show, Gursimran Khamba, the host, asks three comedians weird questions about real news and Indian pop culture. It's all in Hinglish, at the speed of banter. It can't get more desi than this.
An AI that can follow this is definitely more desi.
Job 1 of 6
Gursimran's own questions, every rule followed. This is where "more desi" gets decided.
Round 3 · Who am I?
Jose buzzes Sunil Pal ✗
Sarvamlistening…
OpenAIlistening…
Both AIs played the same hints. Hint 3 is where they split: that's Round 1.
Job 2 of 6
The rounds, the rules, the scores, the wagers, and who actually won.
The real Video 2 scoreboard: after Round 1, before the last round, then the all-in wager
Job 3 of 6
165 minutes of video: who's on stage, what the cards say, what's on the screen.
Job 4 of 6
In Hinglish, exactly the way it was said. Two languages, one sentence, at the speed of banter.
Gursimran KhambaI am the aakhri pasta. I am the?
A guesserAakhri pasta. Aakhri. Aakhri, last.
A guesserThe last pasta.
Job 5 of 6
On this show the claps are points. The AI has to hear every laugh and every applause break, because that's how the game is scored.
Video 2 · 2:54 · the hostWe are India's most unserious comedy quiz show, jahan right answer ko milta hai plus ten, and applause break ko milta hai plus twenty. Show me the applause break!
Job 6 of 6
The host and three comedians, talking over each other. Every line needs the right name on it.
Names only where both AIs agree
Question 1
Real moment · Video 1 · 39:20 · the show's own question“In front of which bakery in Bandra did Salman Khan's Land Cruiser have its accident?”
Sarvam
“A1 Bakery”✗
000
OpenAI
“American Express Bakery”✓
020Question 2
Real moment · Video 1 · 43:50On screen: three comedians at their podiums.
Sarvam
“The image shows two men standing behind podiums…”✗
000OpenAI
“Jose Covaco, Kenny Sebastian, Abish Mathew”✓
040Question 3
Real moment · Video 2 · 65:03A guest says: “Here's a suggestion: get a job.”
Sarvam
“Here's a suggestion get a job.”✓
020OpenAI
wrote nothing✗
040Question 4
Real moment · Video 2 · 50:50Morarji Desai is revealed and the whole room erupts.
Sarvam
heard nothing✗
020OpenAI
“LAUGHTER, 3 of 3”✓
060Question 5
Real moment · Video 2 · all 90 minutesOne host, Gursimran Khamba. How many people did each AI think he was?
Sarvam
kept him as 2 voices, all show long✓
040OpenAI
split him into 12 voices✗
060Question 6
Real moment · every API call, loggedOne hour of the show, all six jobs. What does it cost?
Sarvam
$5.50 an hour3×
040OpenAI
$1.84 an hour✓
080Round 1 of 6
Slang, references, jokes, and Gursimran's own quiz. The "more desi" question.
Sarvam
Sarvam 105B
Sarvam's own LLM
OpenAI
GPT-6 Luna*
OpenAI's LLM
*GPT-6 Luna: I picked the GPT-6 variant priced like Sarvam 105B (both under $1 per million tokens). Putting OpenAI's top model against it would be an unfair fight.
Both get only the hints, exactly like the blindfolded comedians. This is the question in the title.
Who Am I? The show's toughest round. Gursimran reads the hints; both AIs play along.
Who am I?
AnswerMother Teresa
Who am I?
AnswerStephen Hawking
Who am I?
AnswerRahul Gandhi
*GPT-6 Luna: the GPT-6 variant priced like Sarvam 105B. Both AIs only get the hints, like the blindfolded comedians.
Round 1 · resultWho understands Indian pop culture better?
MORE DESI: OPENAI
First blood, and the question in the title
Sarvam
OpenAI
higher is better
So, which AI is more desi? On this show, OpenAI. It also knew more slang (94% vs 59%) and more of Gursimran's quiz (10 vs 6.5 of 15).
0 after 1 of 6 20 Round 2 of 6
How many people are on screen, what the cards say, and does it make things up.
Sarvam
Sarvam Vision
⚠ LimitationSarvam Vision is a document reader. It can't be asked a question about a scene, so all it returns is the text it sees or a general caption.
OpenAI
GPT-6 Luna*
looks at the frame and answers questions about it
*GPT-6 Luna: I picked the GPT-6 variant priced like Sarvam 105B (both under $1 per million tokens). Putting OpenAI's top model against it would be an unfair fight.
Five scenes from the show. What each AI said it saw, in the exact frame it was shown.
On screenThree comedians at their podiums: Guesser 1, 2 and 3.
*GPT-6 Luna: I picked the GPT-6 variant priced like Sarvam 105B (both under $1 per million tokens). Putting OpenAI's top model against it would be an unfair fight.
60 random frames, each one checked
Made things up
Only one of them never invented anything. OpenAI also names who's on stage (81% right); Sarvam can't.
Round 2 · resultWho can understand the video better?
OpenAI doubles up
Sarvam
OpenAI
higher is better
Sarvam reads. OpenAI sees.
0 after 2 of 6 40 Round 3 of 6
Who writes down more of what was actually said. I count every word it gets wrong.
Sarvam
Saaras v4
speech to text · tuned for Hinglish
OpenAI
GPT Transcribe
speech to text
Five real moments, with sound. What was said, and what each AI wrote, word for word.
What was saidGursimran Khamba: I am the aakhri pasta. I am the?
Not cherry-picked
The same clips through both. For every 100 words actually said, here is every mistake each one made.
Sarvam
Saaras v4 · tuned for Hinglish
18.7%of words wrong
OpenAI
GPT Transcribe
21.1%of words wrong
Every 100 squares is 100 words actually said. OpenAI's mistakes are mostly missing words: it skips. Sarvam's are wrong or extra words: it hears everything, not always right.
Round 3 · resultWho hears Hinglish better?
Sarvam hits back
Sarvam
OpenAI
lower is better
Sarvam hears more. OpenAI hears cleaner, when it hears at all.
20 after 3 of 6 40 Round 4 of 6
Comedy is half the laugh. Can it tell when the room cracks up.
Sarvam
✗No model
⚠ LimitationSarvam has speech-to-text, but no model that listens to sound itself. It can only guess a laugh from the words.
OpenAI
GPT Audio Mini
listens to the audio itself
Three times the room reacted. What each AI heard.
What was saidKhamba: Abish has picked mera number one. Morarji Desai, apart from being a former PM, was also known for enjoying an occasional drink of his bottle number one.
Round 4 · resultWho hears the audience laugh?
OpenAI pulls ahead
Sarvam
OpenAI
higher is better
Comedy is half the laugh. OpenAI heard the audience. Sarvam couldn't.
20 after 4 of 6 60 Round 5 of 6
Does it keep the host and the three comedians straight, all show long.
Sarvam
Saaras v4
speaker labels, one pass over the whole show
OpenAI
GPT-4o Transcribe Diarize
speaker labels, ten minutes at a time
Three stretches of crosstalk. Every line, with the name each AI put on it.
Who actually said itGursimran: Yes, he was almost right. Let's give you the answer. BIA. No, no, no, no, no. No, you have a good thing going into it. IB, IB, IB. / A guest: IB, IB, irritable bowel syndrome. / Kaneez: AI, AI. / Gursimran: Yes, Kaneez got the right answer, yes. What? But we should give Abish also a little bit, he helped. Let's give Kaneez ten and Abish five.
All of Video 2, 90 minutes
8voices, as Sarvam heard it61voices, as OpenAI heard it: it forgets everyone every ten minutes Round 5 · resultWho knows who's talking?
Sarvam closes in
Sarvam
OpenAI
higher is better
Sarvam kept the voices straight all show long. OpenAI forgot everyone every ten minutes. Forty to sixty, and it comes down to the bill.
40 after 5 of 6 60 Round 6 of 6
Every rupee, part by part. Listening, clean-up, watching, thinking.
Sarvam
The whole Sarvam stack
Saaras v4 · Sarvam Vision · Sarvam 105B
OpenAI
The whole OpenAI stack
GPT Transcribe · GPT Audio Mini · GPT-6 Luna*
*GPT-6 Luna: I picked the GPT-6 variant priced like Sarvam 105B (both under $1 per million tokens). Putting OpenAI's top model against it would be an unfair fight.
Every API call was logged with what it cost. Two videos, 2.75 hours.
The bill, per hour of video
Sarvam
per hour of video · measured
Total$5.50₹462
3× the priceOpenAI
per hour of video · measured
Total$1.84₹154
CheapestGreen amounts: the cheaper of the two, part by part. Sarvam is cheaper at listening; OpenAI at everything else.
Round 6 · resultWho's cheaper to run?
The receipt
Sarvam
OpenAI
lower is better
Overall, Sarvam cost three times more. Measured on every call, not estimated.
40 after 6 of 6 80 The final score · six tests
Sarvam
OpenAI
Sarvam hears Indian speech better, and cheaper.
OpenAI understands it better, sees better, and costs a third as much overall.
