Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; August 30, 2018)

Ever since Kapil Sharma vanished from the limelight a few months ago, there has been curiosity about his comeback. The actor-comedian’s last show, Family Time With Kapil Sharma, had wrapped up abruptly after three episodes in April. Now, BT has it that Kapil is all set for his muchawaited return. And guess what? He will be part of a show, which will also star Krushna Abhishek, who was once considered his professional rival.

Informs a source associated with the project, “While Krushna and Bharti Singh came on board earlier, the makers have now decided to rope in Kapil, too. The trio will be working together after many years, since they branched out post Comedy Circus. It will be a comedy show, but different from what they have done so far.”

Says the source, “They will perform gags and also chat with celeb guests on the show. We don’t want to burden Kapil with the responsibility of running a show on his shoulders, yet.”

Recent pictures of Kapil doing the rounds on social media may suggest that he is not fit, but the source insists that he is working on that front. “Kapil was not in India, but the makers of the show were in touch with him. He is currently in Amritsar, and is looking forward to returning to action. He has already started working out,” the source adds.

Both Kapil and Krushna remained unavailable for comment.
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The comedian-actor is staging a comeback with a new show and a Punjabi fi lm which he is producing
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 30, 2018)

Kapil Sharma, whose last stint on TV, with Family Time with Kapil Sharma, ended abruptly after three episodes, is staging another comeback. Mirror has learnt that the comedian-actor-TV show host is returning to Sony with a stand-up show, while also putting the finishing touches to his soon-to-release next production, a Punjabi film titled Son Of Manjeet Singh.

Family Time with Kapil Sharma, a game-show that aired between March 25 and April 1 on Sony, was pulled off air after the comedian host reportedly stopped turning up for shoots citing health issues. His previous stint on TV, The Kapil Sharma show, was pulled off air on August 20, 2017 after he stood up celebrity guests like Shraddha Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Shah Rukh Khan, among others.

A week after his gameshow came to an abrupt halt in April, Kapil had accused journalist Vickey Lalwani of hindering his career by way of “malicious reporting”. In a recording of the phone conversation, which has been in the public domain since, Kapil seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown when his friend and associate took the phone from him, threatening the journalist with dire consequences if they didn’t leave the comedian alone.

Speaking to Mirror from a health centre in Bangalore (September 7, 2017), where he’d retreated to recuperate, Kapil had said, “I have been working for the last 10 years without a break and I needed medical help to combat anxiety, blood pressure and sugar problems and correct an unbalanced diet. I thought it was best to take a break before another problem that I couldn’t control cropped up. After ignoring my health all these years, I am focussing on it now.”

A source close to Kapil now reveals that he will be back on the small screen in two months. “The new show is expected to go on air by October. Bharat Kukreti, who directed Comedy Nights with Kapil, has been brought on-board for this one too. The idea is to stick to pure comedy, not deviating from the format. In the run-up to his return, Kapil, who has been grappling with health issues and had put on some weight, is dedicatedly hitting the gym. He should be completely fit by October,” adds the source.

The source further informs that shooting for Kapil’s upcoming production kicked off last year and was wrapped up recently. “It was delayed because of Kapil’s health issues but he’s ready to resume work now and is gearing up for an October release for the film as well. It has been shot all over Punjab and Kapil will actively be a part of the promotions,” the source asserted.

The film is directed by Vikram Grover, who was an associate producer on the comedian-actor’s earlier production, Firangi, and features Damnapreet Singh, BN Sharma, Gurpreet Ghuggi, Karamjit Anmol and Japji Khaira.