Stand up comic Kapil Sharma talks to Shveata Chandel Singh
An actor, emcee, host and stand-up comedian, Kapil Sharma wears many feathers in his cap. Did we mention he is also a singer? Just another of those feathers, we were talking about.
His show ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ has taken him to new heights of success. The idea was new, the content clean, and the giggles exceptionally enjoyable for the entire family. It’s no wonder Kapil has become a household name.
Kapil came to Mumbai in 2001, hoping to strike it big as a stand up comic. His father was a policeman, and after he died, Kapil’s family had wanted him to join the police force, but he opted for a life in comedy instead.
His career in the industry began in 2008 when he participated in comedy reality show Ustaadon Ka Ustaad. Here, the contestants of comedy show, Comedy Circus performed against those from Great Indian Laughter Challenge. He then went on to co-host comedy show Chhote Miyan in the same year with TV actress Juhi Parmar and Great Indian Laughter Challenge Season IV with Chandan Prabhakar. It was here that is stand-up comedy characters, Lala Roshan Lal and Shamsher Singh became extremely popular.
In 2009, Kapil joined the comedy reality show Hans Baliye, as a wild card entry, along with Bavneet Chatrath (famously known as Ginni) as a partner. He was then seen co-hosting the first Punjabi International Film Awards in Toronto in 2012.
“Success did not happen overnight,” says Kapil. “Whatever I have achieved today is because of my hard work. I didn’t start as a comedian. I did serious theatre for many years, but unfortunately I wasn’t recognised for my work there,” says Kapil, who adds that he also did many comedies for free. “People noticed me in Laugher Challenge seven years ago, and that was the turning point of my life,” he says.
Kapil believes that his ability to find humour in the most trivial of situations is what makes him popular. “Humour was routine in my life, but when I realised that you can get paid for it, I thought about giving it a fair go,” says Kapil, who was recently seen hosting the TV reality dance show Jhalak Dikhlaja along with anchor Manish Paul.
He says that after winning the third season of ‘the Great Indian Laughter Challenge”, there has been no looking back.
“I am a very cheerful person, but a person can’t laugh all the time. People think I am funny all the time, but I am not always funny, there are times I am serious too. I love to crack jokes and watch people laugh at them,” says Kapil.
“Comedy is all about knowing your audience,” says Kapil, who says it is his dream to do a live performance.
“Every comedian dreams of having his own show and I did too. It always feels good. The show runs with my name in the title, and it is therefore an achievement for me. We are doing well and are getting the highest TRPs among non-fiction shows. Clearly, if you offer good content, people will love you,” says Kapil, who adds that the Comedy Nights team apparently has plans to shoot some episodes in London as well as Australia.
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