Married to comedy

in conversation

Who is Kapil Sharma? Well, any Indian who watches television today would never ask such a question that would now border on extreme ignorance! The Czar of Comedy on the small screen with his 200 episodes-old household favourite show Comedy Nights With Kapil, however, considers himself a “chhota aadmi” and wants the people who love him so much to watch his debut film, Kis Kisko Pyar Karoon, with the same affection.

After all, Kapil’s made sure that their prime expectations — clean comedy that a family can watch together — have been carefully met. Immensely grounded and courteous, the highly-successful comic is also pragmatic.

Filmy chakkar

Talking about his misfired debut with Yash Raj Films, he says, “Kuch cheezen na apne haath mein nahin hoti, sir (some things are not in our hands),” and admits that there were creative differences. “I was anyway going to do this film produced by Venus, but maybe as a follow-up assignment. However, I am glad that this one turned out to be my first film. They say that certain things should be left to God and we should not think too much about such things.”

He goes on to explain why. “People expect me to do out-and-out comedy and I am doing it here. This is a film that, like my shows, will not be watched only by one or two people, but their complete families from parents, grandparents to kids. Frankly, I was a bit apprehensive as my directors Abbas-Mustan are known to be brilliant at murder mysteries, whereas this was a family film. But then, they reassured me and the fact that Anukalp Goswami, one of my oldest associates, had written the film and showed me the script, put me in ease.”

During the making of the film, Kapil realised that the director duo were brilliant storytellers. “They are also strong technically, and when they told me that they had loved Anukalp’s script but had waited two years to decide whom to cast, as they did not want either a top name or a rank newcomer but the perfect actor, I was touched by their faith.”
The comedian-host-actor is also sure that he will never do films for the sake of it. “No bulk films for me,” is the way he puts it. “My kitchen is safe. I will never leave television or give it second priority. It has given me everything, made me what I am today, and earned me so much love and respect. A film will have to be indeed special and I should love the script. And it has to be something new from me, otherwise why should anyone come to watch me in the theatre?”

He disagrees when we say that he is already overexposed — on television, his live shows, events and in every other way. “Look, on my show, I have the same family, we broadly follow the same pattern, and yet we have touched 200 episodes. This time, there is a definite graph, a finite storyline, and so many characters. There is romance, and there are songs and dances. I am not playing myself but a character in a series of situations.”

Despite his loyalty to the small screen, Kapil confesses that acting in a film was infinitely more comfortable and relaxing. As he puts it: “In films, we give a shot and then wait until the next one is ready. On television, we stand continuously for five or six hours, and even if we are dying, we have to complete the number of episodes we have to do per week.”

A bachelor in real life, Kapil has to handle four women in this film, and smiles and says that it is tough to look after one wife in real life. “That’s the USP of this film,” he smiles. “And the best part is that this man, whom his mother has named Shiv Ram Krishan (with the acronym SRK!) is not some characterless flirt but a simple, golden-hearted young man. He only takes his mother’s maxim, ‘Never hurt a girl’s feelings,’ so seriously that he ends up being a husband to three girls — as Shiv, Ram and Krishan. And he also has a girlfriend whom he loves.”

We believe that he has creative control on the show. How much of that was allowed here? “Oh, on my show, it is more to maintain the cleanliness and wholesomeness of the humour,” he declares. “I co-produce Comedy Nights With Kapil for that reason. Otherwise, as a mere actor, I can earn much more with less effort. But if the other artistes indulge in below-the-belt humour and I am not controlling it, by default, I become an accomplice.”

For laughs

With this film, however, the director-duo and Kapil were in complete agreement on the content quality. “Being a comedy, improvisations happened all the time, though. And the directors had lots of faith in me.”

What is Kapil’s definition of comedy? “Comedy is the most difficult aspect of entertainment,” he says forcefully. “In a music show, a Mohammed Rafi or Sonu Nigam song can be repeated for decades. But even if a comedian is doing a five-minute act, his jokes have to be new all the time.”

So, when did Kapil decide to focus on comedy? “You will not believe it, but I began in 1997 with serious theatre in college. Then I watched one student play different characters in the same costume and get a fantastic response. I also tried that and slowly started doing shows on regional channels and then moved to being a contestant on Comedy Circus. The response was great because everyone likes to laugh.”

Has he ever met people who can match his ready wit on his show? “Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan,” he instantly replies.

And when will he tie the knot in real life? “My mother, who is seen in every episode, naturally has been wanting that for a long time, so I keep telling her, ‘I am making people laugh. This is my work. Why do you want to tie me down? But, that will happen too,” he grins.