Support for move to shelve Kapil Sharma’s show

Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma’s poor health led to repeated shoot cancellations of The Kapil Sharma Show (TKSS). That, in turn, has led to the channel pulling the show off the air and falling back on repeat telecast of old episodes.

Kapil’s No. 1 rival, comedian Krushna Abhishek, now gets the 8pm prime time slot. Reacting to the developments, Abhishek says, “As a colleague and a human being, I’d say that [Kapil] should get well and come back to his slot. It’s not that we’re jumping into this slot — [but] we’re very happy with the 8 o’ clock slot and this is the channel’s decision, because they don’t have a telecast [at that time].”

The official statement from Sony Entertainment Television read: “Kapil has been under the weather for some time now. Due to this, we have mutually agreed to take a short break. However, once Kapil has recovered completely, we will start shooting again. We value our relationship with Kapil and wish him a speedy recovery.”

While it’s not clear how long TKSS will remain off the air, the current and former members of the show support the decision.

Actor Kiku Sharda, who played various popular characters on TKSS, is confident that they’ll come back with a new zeal. He tells us, “Kapil Sharma has genuinely not been keeping well. Shoots are getting cancelled, and it’s better to take a break and come back with vigour and energy.”

Actor Rochelle Rao, who played the role of a nurse on TKSS, agrees. She says, “I think it’s a smart decision. Artists all over the world are becoming more aware of their physical and mental abilities. In fact, someone as big as Justin Bieber cancelled seven of his concerts, regardless of what money was involved in it, because at some level, you have to put your health and well-being first. It’s tough for us, but if we don’t learn to support each other, then what’s the point of working together?”

Actor Upasna Singh, who left TKSS earlier this year, was known for playing the role of Bua. She feels it’s better to take a break rather than incur heavy losses from repeated shoot cancellations. “This is the right decision that Kapil has taken,” she says.

We’ll come back, and come back stronger... When Kapil is feeling up to it totally, we will come back KIKU SHARDA, COMEDIAN We don’t want him to come down; there has always been healthy competition between us KRUSHNA ABHISHEK, COMEDIAN