Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; November 10, 2017)

In the last six to eight months, a lot has happened with Kapil Sharma, being the centre of attention. His dependence on alcohol grabbed eyeballs, his in-flight fight with co-actor Sunil Grover and others made headlines and his show faced a little dip in TRPs.

All in all, the year might not have been a great one for the star comedian on a professional level, but the actor firmly believes that 2017 has been the biggest learning graph in his life so far. Kapil has changed personally, he claims and amid all the rumours, is still raring to go. His film Firangi hits theatres this month.

In a candid conversation, the otherwise reticent Kapil talks about the various controversies that have surrounded his professional and personal life.

Did it ever cross your mind that the whole Sunil Grover controversy might affect your film?
I don’t feel that will happen. When two friends fight, it’s their thing. Every family and its members have issues. Whoever will go to the theatre too must have faced something like this for sure in life. I don’t think that people will decide to watch the film, vis-a-vis this factor or connect it with the film.

What about the support from the film industry?
Support ki baat karein toh Bachchan saab ne itna achha tweet kiya tha film ke baarein mein. Even Shah Rukh bhai wrote something for the team. So, it’s not like I don’t have anyone’s support. Maybe, because the show is off air now and people don’t get to see my photographs with all the industry actors, it might seem that I’m completely cut off from the industry. But I’m very much a part of the industry. I don’t think the whole controversy has affected that at all.

Did anyone from the industry reach out to you?
When my health wasn’t fine, when so many times shoots got cancelled, people from the industry called me to inquire about my well-being. There were stories where people said that I refused to shoot and sent Shah Rukh Khan back, but he was so sweet. He was more concerned about my health. Next day, he was shooting on another set, but when he got to know I was on sets, he came over post midnight. Then, we sat in his car for an hour or more, where he asked me how I was feeling. Likewise, there were Anil Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, and Arjun Kapoor, too. Everyone has enjoyed on my show. Toh ek toh unko lagne laga ki paanch saal se itna mazaa kar rahen hai, suddenly isko kya hua. But I genuinely had some problems and everyone sent me their best wishes.

In what ways have you changed over the last few months?
I haven’t seen much of a change in me! (Smiles) But yes, I have become more aware. I now know and understand the intention with which people around me, tell me things. I know what to listen and what to avoid. I am not too intelligent and I believe people way easily. But I have become calmer and even if there’s a bad situation, I try and maintain my calm all the time. I used to hyperventilate earlier and because the show is in my name, all their problems used to come to me. When two artistes were fighting among themselves, I had to interfere and if I scolded anyone, then the news would come twisted in my name. So now, I’m extremely aware of all that. So ab koi kuch bhi kahe, mujhe kuch nahi bolna hai. I will just focus on my work. Thoda samajhdar ho gaya hoon, shayad 5-10 percent.

Recently, you were at a rehab centre too, for your severe alcoholism...
(Cuts in) I wasn’t at a rehab. I don’t know who’s spread these rumours. Yes, it’s true that I started drinking a lot. But it wasn’t an addiction. I just took to the bottle because of anxiety and depression, after reading such news about myself. I went to Bangalore to Ayurvedagram and it isn’t a rehab. It’s for detox. There would be two-three massages everyday, you will be put on a strict vegetarian diet which they make alag se, then they will prescribe you some Ayurvedic medicines. They wake you up early mornings and make you do yoga. I used to have my breakfast at 7.30 am every morning there, then lunch at 1 pm. Life mein kabhi nahi tha yeh! I used to do meditation too. So, the first two-three days, it seemed like a jail. But then, I got adjusted to everything. But people have called it a rehab which it’s not.

There are still reports that you haven’t been able to give up alcohol...
Yes. Even after going to Bangalore, I stayed there for 15 days and they went great. They wanted me to stay there for 40 days and they wanted to control my lifestyle because I had a weakness and my food habits here were disturbed. But once I came back, I started drinking again. Again when I came back to Mumbai, to my same house, the same things started running in my mind and I again took to the bottle. Then, I realised that this isn’t the solution to it because it depresses you even further. When I keep working, I stay happy. But now, I’m busy with this film and the mixing, so now I don’t have time to do all that which is good.

How do you plan to control that problem?
When my trailer was ready, everyone asked me why I was still sitting at home and not coming out to promote the film. Then, I told them, ‘Kab karna hai trailer launch batao!’ So, just a day before the trailer launch, I gave up drinking regularly the way I used to, earlier.

And you didn’t drink post that till date?
No, a few times in between, I did. But those weren’t the same situations. It was not chronic drinking where I would drunk and get sloshed completely.

But will you ever give it up completely?
Of course, I want to. Because now I’ve seen that this hasn’t borne any great results for me anyway. (Laughs) But you know what I feel. No one stops drinking, kisi ke kehne pe. But there comes a time in everyone’s life when they just give it up. Although, even at a party in Dubai, when all the actors had travelled with us, they were all drinking but I wasn’t. I didn’t even touch it and I had made up my mind. That was last November. So three months, I didn’t drink at all. Again in February, there was a lot of fog when we were shooting and dil kar padha so socha ki chalo udhar thoda sa kar lete hain. (Laughs) There were a few problems in life and 50 things were happening at the same time. The fog had delayed my film, then an artist passed away and uske upar we had to go to Australia. When a man is upset, you lose the perspective of thinking what should be done that time. I didn’t have an elder guiding me. I stay alone here, so yes, the bottle was there and I just started drinking.

How does your mother react to stories about you?
Yes, my mom gets to know on hearsay, when people come and read out reports to her. But she’s a seedhi gaonwali. She kept asking me why I stopped my show. First few days, I lied to her and told her that it was because of the strike. I didn’t want to disturb her. But then, she would get to know from idhar-udhar that Kapil’s health isn’t great. So then she started worrying about me. I called her here in Mumbai and I would stay in front of her all the time at home. But andar jaake apne kamre mein raat ko pee loon toh usko kaha pata chalega (gets emotional). I have cheated my mom and I’m not proud of it. My mental condition wasn’t okay and I didn’t want to disturb my mother but now, she’s happy. In my film, she has a cameo. Actually, my sister and my bhabhi and my nephew are all there in the film, so saari family ko leke bana diya maine. (Laughs)

Your first film worked at the box office. Does that put pressure on you with your second film?
No, I just feel that my first film was dependent on the directors and Abbas-Mustan had done a fantastic job with it. The man who wrote the story also works with me on my TV shows so I was sure that the script was good and the directors will execute it well. Firangi is one film that I have been part of, since its inception. The writer who’s my friend, wrote it keeping me in mind. They know what I would be able to do and what would cause me discomfort. It is based in an era where people have only seen the dark side. The Partition is a difficult period of all of us. We have made it lighter — how people used to celebrate, fall in love, whether they were able to communicate love. So, when the product is ready, you don’t need to worry. Otherwise, also, I am a tension-free person.

Comedy is your forte. But Firangi doesn’t have too many comic elements. Was it a conscious move?
Absolutely. It was designed that way. Because when you are making a story in that era, there are different characters and it’s a human drama. We cannot forcefully put comedy scenes in the film, just for the heck of it. Yes, since I’m there, comedy will obviously be a part of the script. But Firangi has a lot more than just comedy. People told me when I did Kis Kis Ko Pyaar Karoon, they felt like they watched a two-hour long Kapil show. But this is different and has all the other elements too.

Have you decided on the future of your show? Will it be back?
Of course! Yes, there have been stories about the show not returning but that’s not true. We have always come up with different shows always. From Comedy Circus to The Kapil Sharma Show, we have done different things with different people. The characters and the actors keep changing and it doesn’t make a difference to me. But they all are with me and they were asking me when I was coming back with the show. Ali (Asgar), too, was asking me that. Baat hoti rehti hai.

You also announced you were getting married to Ginni Chatrath soon. What’s the status?
Wohi chakkar hai — ek time pe show kar liya, film bhi kar liya, ab shaadi karne ke liye bolenge toh zyada mushkil ho jayega! (Laughs) I feel I need to be more settled before getting married. I don’t think I’m ready for marriage right now.

Why?
See, whatever has happened with me over the last few months, sometimes I doubt myself if I’m responsible enough. Yes, I’m a professional and doing a show but will I be able to manage all of it and marriage too? I keep telling her (Ginni) that see, this is how I am, we work like crazy people when we do. But I also feel that marriage is also in God’s hands. We can keep planning but honi hoti toh sarkar ne 21 saal ki umar rakhi hai, toh tab tak ho chuki hoti. (Laughs)

How did Ginni react to all these stories?
She doesn’t read newspapers or watch news that much. If someone comes and tells her about things, then that’s about it. So bechari woh aisi hi hai. She’s just concerned about my health, that’s it. When she gets to hear of things about my health, she calls me and I cool her down saying I’m fine.

What kind of relationship do your family members share with your girlfriend?
Honestly, my family and she are more connected. I have stayed in Mumbai only and I go there only once a year on Diwali. So they have a stronger bond. They stay in Amritsar-Jalandhar so she’s extremely close to my mother. Actually, my mom knows more about Ginni than I do Which is why my mom is forcing me to get married to her. She feels I’m mad and Ginni is perfect for me because she can handle that madness.

There were always stories about your and Preeti Simoes’ relationship. What went wrong?
When we used to work together, because we did that a lot, it became like a relationship. See there’s one thing that you love somebody, you’re committed to that person and are planning to get married. We have worked so madly together so we have had our share of crazy fights with each other as well. So iss chakkar mein hum log kabhi uss zone mein gaye hi nahi. To see whether we can stay like this in our personal life as well. We always had healthy fights but there are a few things you just don’t know the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of. This was one such thing in my life. Main toh yahi ka hi hoke reh gaya tha. I wouldn’t go to Punjab often but there again is an added family pressure and sometimes, you just can’t manage everything (speaks softly). You feel sad about it.

Lastly, have you ever thought — what if you lose everything you’ve got, how would you deal with things?
I was initially rejected for Laughter Challenge. I gave another audition next year and I was selected. Then I went on to win the show. I did six seasons of Comedy Circus and I won in all of them. Mujhe laga ki ab baat winner ki ya uski nahi hai. I wanted to do something, from the heart completely. Then, we came up with Comedy Nights concept. When I made the sets, people passed comments like, ‘Yeh kya set banaya, aise toh hote nahi kabhi reality shows mein’. I asked them to just let me do things my way and then when it became a hit, everyone stopped talking.

The Kapil Sharma Show also became a hit after that and imagine Jackie Chan chose to come to our show and nowehere else. So that was a big achievement for me personally and professionally. My first film also worked well. So till date, I haven’t faced something like that. But yes, there were rejections initially in my career but I’m someone who will accept it and try again. But you can’t get scared of it and sit at home. Phir toh aage flop hone ka bhi chance nahi raha, if you don’t do anything. At least, you should do something, jiske liye aap flop hone ke layak toh ho! (Smiles)