Rise and fall of the comedy king from Amritsar
“We can’t join you for dinner on Saturday. We are watching the Kapil Sharma comedy show,” my friend Kewal said apologetically. “How about Sunday evening?” I said. “We watch the programme on Sunday evening also,” Kewal said. “Who is Kapil?” I asked. “You don’t know of the Kapil Sharma show?” he asked me incredulously. “The programme will leave you in splits,” he added.
I was taken aback. In two decades, my friend Kewal had never turned down a dinner invitation from me. I was also intrigued by this Kapil Sharma comedy show. So I decided to watch a few episodes. Kewal was right. The show was enticing to the point of becoming an addiction. The protagonist was a middle class comedy actor from Amritsar, who has conquered the hearts of Indians with his stand-up comedy, witty interviews, and rapid-fire repartees.
His shows were tantalisingly scripted. The recipe comprised celebrity interviews, comedy, dance and some music. Celebrity movie stars, musicians and singers flocked to the show to be interviewed when their new films or albums were being launched. An appealing feature was the presence of other comedians who would dance and sing. Some of the actors in the show even masqueraded as female artistes. The programme also endeared itself by espousing important social causes. At the conclusion of each programme, Kapil would make passionate appeals to all viewers for cleanliness. The audience was sprinkled with senior citizens, physicallychallenged youngsters, and patients who had defied cancer, etc.
Kapil’s mother was present at many of the shows. He promoted his image of an animal lover by including his ex-police dog ‘Zanzeer’ in some episodes. The viewership ratings climbed and the programme became the darling of India. As the viewership ascended so did the affluence of Kapil Sharma. In three years, his net worth jumped to ₹ 170 crore. His annual contract is estimated to be ₹110 crore.
Kapil Sharma had become a household brand in a short span of four years. The son of an ordinary police constable, he was on his way to becoming a national role model for youngsters dreaming to make it big through comedy. The show attracted fans even in Pakistan, the Gulf countries and the UK, US and Canada.
Then disaster struck. On a return journey after a live show in Australia in March this year, the team had a spat, after which four of the members, Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar, Sugandha Mishra and Chandan Prabhakar, abandoned the programme. The show goes on, but the humour has lost its punch. Kapil’s remaining team struggles to evoke laughs. A few more actors have been tried out, but they do not have the same effect. The laughs are getting fewer.
Laughing is important for us to keep our mental balance in this competitive world. However, making people laugh is tough. It demands hours of serious rehearsals, testing of witticisms and quips. Now, Kapil Sharma will have to learn that managing a team is as important as building a show. I hope Kapil and his teammates will bury the hatchet and reunite again to make Indians laugh.
LAUGHING IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP OUR BALANCE IN THIS COMPETITIVE WORLD. HOWEVER, MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH IS TOUGH. IT DEMANDS HOURS OF SERIOUS REHEARSALS, TESTING OF WITTICISMS AND QUIPS