After a tragic time, facing depression, suicidal pangs and being tagged unprofessional, Kapil sprung back with Family Time with Kapil Sharma.
In the last few months, whenever the name of Kapil Sharma has hit headlines, mostly, it hasn’t been for good reasons. The Punjabi, who entered the television industry and changed the face of comedy, has suddenly turned into a divisive star, who attracts controversies like a magnet. From his war with Colors that led to his show Comedy Nights with Kapil going off air and his mid-air feud with Sunil Grover, Kapil is definitely set to break records when it comes to starting up a storm. But today, as Kapil turns 37, let’s look back and celebrate the artist in him that proves that he is definitely more than being a controversy king.
Born in Amritsar, Kapil lost his father at a young age, and while most in his region dreamt of joining the police force, he harboured dreams of being a singer and so sketched his path towards Mumbai. Being naturally witty and funny, he was destined for bigger things.
In a time, when saas-bahu sagas rocked the small screen, Star One decided to experiment with stand-up comedy with The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2007. While Tulsi, Prerna and Parvati made the audience weep, Kapil and many performers like him were put on stage to spread some smiles. Witnessing stand-up for the first time, viewers lapped up the series that was majorly dominated by Punjabis.
But Kapil, with his innocence and the talent to pull the funniest of jokes with a straight face, was well noticed and he managed to win the first season of the show.
Being the first champion, Kapil was flooded with offers and he soon signed up for Comedy Circus. With the creatives packing in punch after punch with newer elements added every season, the show on Sony TV turned into a grand success. Kapil, for the record, won six seasons, and soon turned into a crowd favourite.
But sensing monotony and the desire to fly higher, he moved out of the project and made his hosting debut with Chote Miyyan. His talent was well appreciated and he soon grabbed the offer to host Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6 with Maniesh Paul.
Around this time, Kapil also turned entrepreneur and decided to launch his own show Comedy Nights with Kapil in 2013 on Colors. This was the first time that a show of this scale was being launched with a comedian taking centre-stage. He also managed a casting coup signing Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar and Kiku Sharda among others. While all these actors have been in the industry for a long time, the show made them stars overnight. Always being a team player, he gave all his cast mates equal chances to shine on stage, and a lot of them have to thank him for their success. Sunil, for instance, had decided to step out and enjoy an individual game, but failed miserably only to make a swift U-turn.
From the time he was working with Comedy Circus, there was a sense of cold war and jealousy riding between him and Krushna Abhishek. So when Colors decided to launch Comedy Nights Bachao, apparently after Kapil hiked his fees, he felt insulted and rather than bowing down to the channel’s demand of cutting down his show to one day instead of two, Kapil packed his bags and his team and landed back at Sony TV’s door.
The channel was in the lookout of a successful non-fiction property and welcomed them all with open arms. Thus, they launched The Kapil Sharma Show in April 2016. All was going well, the series was churning out ratings, the actors were hailed as stars and staging shows abroad, when Kapil had a fight with Sunil and Chandan Prabhakar in Australia during a tour. Egos clashed, and Sunil Chandan, Ali and a few more decided to part ways.
After a tragic time, facing depression, suicidal pangs and being tagged unprofessional, Kapil sprung back with Family Time with Kapil Sharma. While the game show hasn’t garnered a positive response, fans have been excited about Kapil’s comeback.
With a heart of gold, and empathy towards animals, the star has always been vocal about animal rights and promoted adoption of homeless cats and dogs. He himself brought home a retired police dog, which also featured in his show. Kapil has also been actively involved in the PM’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and was invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 to acknowledge his contribution for the same. While he opened Kaun Banega Crorepati 8 with Amitabh Bachchan, he got Karan Johar to shoot an episode of Koffee with Karan, conversing completely in Hindi. He has also shared the stage with Bollywood biggies and hosted some of the most prestigious award shows with them.
As he blows off the candles on his birthday cake today, fans and well-wishers around the globe have been hoping he also blows out negativity out of his life, and works hard to bring justice to the talent he has been blessed with. Happy Birthday, Kapil!