I’M NOT DONE YET. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME, PRAY FOR ME

Kapil Sharma says he has checked into an ayurveda clinic for “complete detoxification”, and that he will soon be back in the public eye

My show (The Kapil Sharma Show) is far from over. We’ll be coming back stronger than ever as soon as I have recovered KAPIL SHARMA, ACTOR-COMEDIAN

Several theories and reports about actorcomedian Kapil Sharma’s “illness” have been doing the rounds ever since his alleged mid-flight spat with actor Sunil Grover in March this year. Reports also suggested that Kapil made Bollywood stars wait for hours on the sets of his TV show, The Kapil Sharma Show (temporarily off-air) and sometimes, even cancelled. Although his friends and well-wishers have denied several allegations on Kapil, the 36-year-old has mostly stayed mum. Here, he opens up:

Kapil, what has happened to you? Where are you? Nothing serious. Main thoda phisal gaya tha. Abb sambhal gaya hoon (I had slipped but I’ve regained composure now).health issues hain. I’ve checked into an ayurveda clinic for complete detoxification. They are saying I have to stay here for 40 days. But I won’t be able to stay that long. I have a film coming up in November.

The film can wait. Health is more important. What happened to you? Nothing that rest and natural healing can’t cure. It was bound to happen. I wasn’t taking care of myself. I had begun to neglect my health because of overworking. I was travelling back and forth, shooting two back-to-back episodes of my show, then shooting for my film, Firangi. I was not eating or sleeping on time. My health was bound to suffer, and it did.

But shouldn’t the people close to you have warned you about it? Perhaps I was not listening to people. Perhaps I was too busy looking into my professional commitments. Now that I’m here I feel rejuvenated. A lot was written about your health and tantrums... that stars were turned away because you refused to shoot with them? Do you think I’m so stupid as to turn away big stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn? They all knew my problem, how I was suffering. They were all very caring. None of them minded. Only a section of the media made me sound like an arrogant monster who was using his health as an excuse to turn away stars just to satisfy my ego.

Have you been in touch with the stars who couldn’t shoot because of your health? Arjun Rampal had to go without recording. But he came back because he knew what I was going through. When Anil Kapoorji came... he saw my condition, he refused to shoot and told me to take it easy. The stars have been wonderful.