Riya Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; December 13, 2018)

Comedian Ali Asgar has made waves with his on-screen persona of the flamboyant Dadi on The Kapil Sharma Show for three years. So, it was no surprise that when he was in Delhi recently, fans kept calling him Dadi while trying to get pictures clicked with him. The actor was in the Capital to promote his upcoming show, Kanpur Wale Khuranas, in which he plays Chauthi, again a female character. In a candid chat, Ali tells us how comfortable he is playing a woman on screen and what it has taught him in real life.

‘OFTEN, PEOPLE ARE NOT ABLE TO TELL THAT IT IS ACTUALLY A GUY PLAYING A WOMAN’
Ali has been playing female roles so convincingly, that it has even landed him in trouble in real life. Sharing an incident that happened while he was performing at a Delhi wedding, the actor says, “Wherever I go for such shows, I don’t let the anchor announce my name, I just enter as Dadi. At this event, by the time I entered, people were already drunk. Unhone uske baad jo hamla kiya hai mere upar — they were putting their hands on my chest, they were pinching my butt, I was molested! There is a girl in my team, and she managed to save me, warna main nikal nahi pa raha tha. Mera tab yeh question tha, ki bhai aapko pata bhi hai ki ye ek aadmi hai jo aurat ka role kar raha hai? And the second question was — even if you don’t know, ye toh ek buddhi aurat hai na, usko toh chhor do!”

However, not all experiences of him being mistaken for a woman have been so scarring. “When we were shooting for The Drama Company, Jacqueline Fernandez had come for one episode. During the shoot, Jacqueline, Sugandha (Mishra), another female artiste and I were dancing, and Jacqueline ka mic nikal gaya. Despite there being two other girls with us, she asked me, ‘Can you please put the mic back for me?’ So I said, ‘I am a guy’, and the whole audience started laughing,” he shares, adding, “Quite often, people are not able to tell that it is actually a guy playing a woman. I don’t know if that is a compliment.”

While for his fans, Ali plays a woman convincingly, the actor says that he wants to try new things also now. “I am comfortable playing a female character, but as a performer, I try to balance ki main yeh bhi karun, lekin kuch aur bhi karun. I recently got an offer from a production house that surprised me. I won’t name the production house, but I was excited that I would get to play a different kind of role. But in the first meeting itself, they told me that they want me to play a ‘dadi’. They said that in the film, I won’t be a man dressed as a woman, instead, I would actually be a ‘dadi’, a female character. So I thought, ‘Boss, yeh toh zyada ho gaya. Kya ab main male role nahi kar paunga?’ I also have two-three films lined up which are different characters, so I convince myself saying that it is ultimately Ali Asgar who is doing these roles,” he says.

‘THIS SHOW IS LIKE A REUNION FOR US’
Talking about his upcoming show, Ali goes into Chauthi-mode and introduces ‘herself ’ as though she has mugged it up like a student before exams. “I am very good in academics because I have failed my class IV almost 30 times. Galti meri nahi hai, galti school waalon ki hai. Main roz school jati hoon, bas exam wale din nahi jaati toh fail kar dete hain,” says Ali, in his Chauthi voice.

He tells us that it is like a reunion on the sets of the show as the cast of The Drama Company, and other comedy shows, has come together — including Sunil Grover, Upasna Singh and Sugandha Mishra — along with new characters. “This show is like a reunion for us. After The Drama Company and other shows, we are all back together. Aisa lag raha hai aaj se school shuru ho gaya hai. Woh excitement hai ki hum ek nayi class mein ja rahe hain.”

‘NO RIVALRY WITH KAPIL SHARMA’S SHOW’
Though Ali accepts that it is not possible for fans to forget Dadi altogether, he is still trying to experiment with new things for Chauthi. “It will be very difficult to erase Dadi from someone’s memory. Wherever I go, people recognise me as her, toh woh obvious hai ki agar female characters banenge toh woh comparison aayega. But this one will be different from other female characters that I have played so far. It is our duty to try new things, and we will add new things gradually on the show.,” shares Ali.

Kapil Sharma also recently announced his return with a new season of his show and since Ali Asgar, Sunil Grover and Upasana Singh — its previous cast members — are no longer a part of it, we ask Ali if he is wary of comparisons between the two shows? “It is healthy, logon ke liye bhi achha hai ki unhe do jagah se entertainment milega. Frankly, I am not even thinking about the comparisons. We all are professionals and there is no rivalry, woh thoda hype ho jata hai. It is fine, certain things did not work out, but there is no bad vibe. Humari koi Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak wali dushmani nahi hai,” says Ali. When we ask him if an off-screen reunion of the original cast of The Kapil Sharma Show will happen anytime soon, he replies, “Off-screen reunion hota toh achha hota, par ab nahi hua toh the show must go on.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 22, 2018)

In the past, Krushna Abhishek has always tried to mend ties with Govinda and his family, but this time around, he is in no mood for a patch-up. He says, “Sunita mami has influenced the family to an extent that now even their children (Tina and Yashvardhan) don’t talk to us.” Talking about their fallout two years ago, he says, “Chi Chi mama was upset when during an episode of my comedy show, I said, ‘Main koi chhota aadmi nahi hoon, maine Govinda ko mama rakha hua hai’. I can’t fathom why they take humour so seriously. I am proud of my mama and I have apologised to him and his family time and again, but to no avail.”

Although a lot has been said regarding Krushna using Govinda’s name to make his career, he strongly refutes it. “Has he launched me? Does he perform on my behalf for me? Then I would have been indebted to him for life.”

Krushna adds, “If they feel that I have cashed in on his name to make a career, then mama has several nieces and nephews. Where are they? It’s appalling to see them even make such claims. Yes, there is no denying the fact that he has helped me on the personal front when I was young. He has even given me money. But I have made a career through sheer hard work. I feel bad, especially because I have always loved and respected them. I have stayed in their house for six years and Sunita mami has treated me like her own child. However, I am fine if things are not resolved now. They know what they mean to me and nothing can change that.”

While Sunita says they are upset about Kashmera’s social media post after their appearance on Krushna’s show The Drama Company, Krushna recalls, “Sunita mami and Kashmera have not been on talking terms for years. The very night they came on my show, mami called up Kashmera and brought up a previous incident and started scolding her. The next day, she sent me a text message asking about Kashmera’s social media post. In reality, Kashmera’s post was directed at my sister Arti (Singh). Mami mistook it for Chi Chi mama and herself. I tried to explain to her that it wasn’t about them. How can we write anything against them? Hamari koi aukaat hai jo hum unke liye kuchh bole? Govinda is a superstar. I told Kashmera to delete the post and apologise to mami even though it wasn’t meant for her. But they just wouldn’t budge. Thereafter, I realised that there was no point trying to patch up.”

Despite the tension, Krushna says that he invited Govinda and his family for his twins’ birthday party a few weeks ago. “They were in London at the time, but I feel they planned their trip in a way that they could skip the birthday party. Forget that, they didn’t even come to see Rayaan (one of his twins) when he was battling for his life in the hospital. I was hurt. My mother literally brought up mama, a fact even he acknowledges. Does it then not deem fit for him to visit my kids?” Krushna concludes.

Over the past few years, Govinda and his nephew Krushna Abhishek have often been at loggerheads, but time and again, they have patched up. So recently, when Krushna and his wife Kashmera threw a birthday bash for their twins in Mumbai, Govinda and his family were conspicuous by their absence, once again giving rise to speculation that all is not well between the families. BT spoke to Govinda’s wife Sunita and Krushna, who revealed why their relationship has gone sour. Read on...
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; June 22, 2018)

Every relationship has its share of ups and downs, but sometimes, matters reach a dead end. After a rather public reconciliation two years ago, Govinda and his wife Sunita Ahuja have decided to cut all ties with the actor’s nephew, Krushna Abhishek and his wife, Kashmera Shah.

A while ago, Govinda had even made his reservations about Krushna’s sense of humour evident (he found it to be in poor taste) by choosing to appear on Kapil Sharma’s comedy show over his nephew’s. Back then, however, Sunita played the mediator and the mama-bhanja called a truce. But things seem to have gone downhill again. Sunita says, “Krushna’s claim to fame has always been the fact that he is Govinda’s bhanja. He has milked that enough. He has lived with us for years and we have always loved him. It’s a shame that they talk rubbish about us behind our back.”

“We have distanced ourselves from them and it won’t change ever,” says Sunita. Talking about them not being present at Krushna’s twins’ birthday bash, she says, “Govinda and I were in London on that day (June 3), but that wasn’t the only reason why we didn’t attend the party. We were not invited for it and even if they had, we wouldn’t have gone. I have not seen his kids till date because of their parents’ misbehaviour. We have broken all ties with Krushna and Kashmera, and I swear I won’t initiate a patch-up this time around. I was a fool to do so two years ago. Govinda was right about them. It was my mistake that I thought that we should give them another chance.”

Ask her why things have reached this point and she says, “About six months ago, on Krushna’s insistence, Govinda and I went on his show (The Drama Company). Since we are also fond of the show’s producers, Preeti and Neeti Simoes, we agreed. All was well until Kashmera had the audacity to slyly write rubbish about us on social media, soon after that appearance. She referred to us as ‘People who dance for money’ in that post. Even if we were paid for that appearance, it was none of her business. Almost every Bollywood celebrity charges for appearances on TV shows. Plus, she is not the one who paid us. I don’t know if she has deleted that post now, but most of our relatives and family friends read it back then. Krushna claims that the post was meant for his sister Arti, but how come it was put up soon after we appeared on his show? She was nowhere in picture! He is Govinda’s bhanja and this is how they treat us! I was the one who convinced Chi Chi to go on his show. Henceforth, we have nothing to do with them.” She further adds, “After claiming that we ‘dance for money’, Krushna and Kashmera had the audacity to dance to Govinda’s songs at Bharti Singh’s wedding. They pretend like all is well, but that’s not the case. There is no chance of a reconciliation. Kashmera’s nasty comment and lies have deeply hurt us.”

Kapil Sharma’s co-star Upasna Singh, filmmaker Rajiev Dhingra, ex-colleague Preeti Simoes and comedian Krushna Abhishek on the controversy around his comeback
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 9, 2018)

After standing up star guests like Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor and a mid-air scuffle with co-star Sunil Grover, Kapil Sharma took a break from his eponymous TV series, The Kapil Sharma Show, to concentrate on his health. “I could not afford to cancel another episode, so I called them (channel Sony) and requested that I wanted to take a break,” he had told Mirror (September 7, 2017) from a treatment facility in Bangalore, where he was undergoing ayurvedic treatment. With the common refrain that blamed his no-shows to ill health and promises that he was on his way to change everything for the better, Kapil had closed the conversation insisting, “Personal equations have never been detrimental to my career, it’s my health that has affected me adversely. If you fall, it’s your fault and nobody else’s.”

On March 25 this year, the actor-comedian returned to the small screen with a new show. However, the much-awaited comeback was soon punctuated by reports of the host standing up Rani Mukerji. On Friday afternoon, Salman Khan’s conviction in the black buck case seemed to have pushed an already stressed out Kapil over the edge, as he took to Twitter to fire a salvo against his and Khan’s detractors for targeting them with negativity instead of focusing on “bigger scams”.

While the acrimonious tweets subsequently vanished, Kapil informed his followers with the last post for the day that his team had deleted the previous tweets but everything he said was straight from the heart. The day ended with the internet blowing up with the recording of a phone conversation between the 37-year-old actor-comedian and a scribe, in which Kapil is heard abusing the latter and accusing them of “ruining his life” by only publishing negative news about him.

Following renewed speculation around Kapil’s health, his close friend Rajiev Dhingra, who was also associated with Comedy Nights With Kapil and went on to direct him in his home production Firangi, claims that Preeti Simoes (Creative Director on Comedy Nights... and The Kapil Sharma Show) and her sister Neeti are responsible for his plight. “Kapil and I come from a small town of Punjab, we are not manipulative like these girls. Preeti is responsible for driving Kapil into depression, she harassed me as well and tried to instigate him against me. As soon as she learnt that he was marrying his girlfriend Ginni (Chatrath), she vowed to destroy him and turn his friends against him. All the controversies in Kapil’s life happened only in the last one year after Preeti vowed to destroy him.”

Dhingra further informs that Kapil and Ginni have been dating since they lived in Jalandhar. “Bharti (Singh) told Preeti about Ginni and she would tell him that he is a star and deserves someone better than Ginni, a small-town girl,” he says.

Rajiev adds that Sunil Grover was also used as a “pawn” towards that goal. “We friends have been trying to help Kapil stay positive. Not only is he unwell, even his mother isn’t keeping well and we are afraid he will harm himself. Preeti forced herself into the show and into his life. He is an emotional man, she is misusing his weakness. She threatened me saying Kapil and I are not from Mumbai and she will get us thrown out of the industry. Now, Kapil feels he has lost everything he earned over the years,” he grouses.

Meanwhile Krushna Abhishek, whose show The Drama Company replaced The Kapil Sharma Show in September last year, refutes Rajiev’s allegations, saying, “I’ve worked with Preeti in The Drama Company but not once has she spoken ill of Kapil. I know both of them well and sometimes I would want to include Kapil in my jokes but Preeti stopped me.” When Mirror contacted Preeti, she kept it short, “Let’s focus on the fact that Kapil should get the best medical help possible. He is also keeping wrong company and should get out of it soon. Contrary to what his friends and family believe, there is no malice from my side. I will pray that he is out of this situation soon.”

Upasna Singh, Kapil’s co-star on Colors’ Comedy Nights… and The Kapil Sharma Show, says, “Kapil has been mentally disturbed for a while now and has other health issues. In such a condition people make mistakes. I feel bad for him, I have worked closely with both Preeti and him and have never heard him abuse anyone. If Kapil was such a bad person would the stars come on his show? He always behaves respectfully with me so I’m shocked by the language in the (phone) recording. Yes, he drinks but that isn’t an excuse for such behaviour.”

Krushna blames the failure of Kapil’s Firangi for the situation. “His film didn’t work, he’s lost a lot of money plus his show Family Time With Kapil didn’t work. I never took his side before but I’m feeling bad for him now with the way everyone is pouncing on him. People should just forgive him and let him be. Yes, he consumes alcohol, but he isn’t into drugs. He should just stop tweeting. And it’s wrong to harass and write negatively about a guy who is dealing with depression. Kapil isn’t a bad guy and all of us love him,” he adds.

Even as the controversy rages on, a source from Sony informed Mirror that Kapil’s new show is not going off-air.

Sunil Grover, whose show was to replace his, was on the finale of a dance show on a rival channel
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 25, 2017)

It’s a round of musical chairs for the three comedians as the channel struggles to improve TRPs in the 9 pm slot
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 16, 2017)

August was a happening month for television with Pehredaar Piya Ki, revolving around a 10-year-old boy’s obsession with his 18-year-old bodyguard-cum-bride, being yanked off the air following widespread outrage and intervention by newly appointed I&B Minister Smriti Irani. Then, The Kapil Sharma Show was forced to take a ‘short break’ after its perennially unwell host cancelled several shoots with big Bollywood names. In the shuffle of shows, Super Dancer is rumoured to be making a comeback, nudging out The Drama Company from its 8 pm slot. Krushna Abhishek’s comedy show was given Kapil’s air time of 9 pm from September 1 with the understanding that once he recovered, it could be pushed to a 10 pm slot. Now, Mirror has learnt that it’s ‘The End’ for Krushna too. His Drama Company will soon be replaced by Sunil Grover’s new show.

Confirming the news Krushna told Mirror that the current season of his show was drawing to an end and he isn’t sure what the future holds for The Drama Company. “It’s not about the show going off air because it was always supposed to be a limited series. But we were planning a new season and had decided to introduce some new elements. Now, I think they are introducing Sunil’s show in that slot which we were not aware of.”

Buzz is, his show wasn’t a big draw with either the audience or B-town bigwigs like Kapil’s which is why its 26-episode run was cut short prematurely though the 8 pm slot has always been a traditionally weak one. Krushna however isn’t too disappointed with how his show fared. “It’s not like we weren’t getting TRPs but our time slot was abruptly changed and this fact wasn’t publicised well. The 9 pm audience belonged to Kapil so getting appreciation in that slot wasn’t easy. We needed more time,” he sighs, pointing out that the same thing happened with his earlier show, Comedy Nights Bachao, on Colors, despite it running for over a year.

He goes on to rue that a concept like The Drama Company is tough to execute. He informs that when he spoke to Preeti Simoes, the creative head of the show, she pointed out that since the road was difficult, it was better they end the series and come up with something new. “It’s the channel’s decision and Sunil is very popular. He’s visited my set many times and I’m happy he is getting his show. I’m comfortable with him and open to working with him in future,” says Krushna who is taking a break of two-three months from work unless something really interesting comes up. “I’m headed to Greece with Kashmera and the kids. Being a new father I’m in a beautiful phase of life. We’ve named one son Krishangg and are still deciding what to call the other boy.”

Earlier this year, Kapil and Sunil grabbed headlines following a fight mid-air after which Sunil walked out of The Kapil Sharma Show. Kapil in a recent interview to Mirror (September 7) had revealed that he was undergoing Ayurvedic treatment in Bangalore. “I needed to repair my body to make a great and healthy comeback. I am hoping to be back in Mumbai by September-end. I will complete my medical course and start promoting my film before returning to the show. I have no plans of leaving Sony,” he had asserted. Now, news is that the comedian is fit and will resume shooting from next month.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 7, 2017)

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; August 3, 2017)

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; July 13, 2017)

A‘nervous’ Mithun Chakraborty returns to the arclights with a comedy show on TV and a handful of films after a forced two-year hiatus following chronic health issues
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 12, 2017)

In an interview to Mirror earlier (December 21, 2015) Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahaakshay, following rampant speculations surrounding his father’s health, had revealed that the veteran actor was laid low following a bout of sickness.

In 2008, Mithun was shooting for Soham Shah’s action-packed thriller Luck when a daring stunt-gone-awry left him with a back injury. While the spasms eased up after a while, the back ache returned in 2015. The same year, a bout of fever forced him into a brief hibernation and last year, he flew out to Los Angeles for treatment.

The 67-year-old actor ended the two-year hiatus last Wednesday when he arrived on the sets of Krushna Abhishek’s upcoming comedy show, The Drama Company, in which he plays the role of Shambu, the owner of the company. Interestingly, it has reportedly been conceptualised as a potential rival to Kapil Sharma’s comedy show which airs on the same channel, Sony.

“I’m completely cured but the doctors have warned that my health now will depend on the lifestyle choices I make hereon. I was bedridden for a long time but I have recovered and hopefully have learnt a lesson from the past,” Mithun admitted.

Besides this show, he has signed a handful of films and has begun shooting for them. “I am doing Geher with Ram Gopal Varma and Anil Sharma’s Genius. There’s also Anup Jalota’s Saahas and a Kannada film, The Villain, which features Sudeep and Shiv Rajkumar. They wanted me desperately so I took them up on the offer. Except Anup’s film, all the others are on the floors. I don’t think I can handle more work at this time,” he added.

While he has judged a dance-based reality show in the past, the actor believes a comedy series will be a challenge for him. “All the actors on this show are established names and have proved themselves in the field of comedy while I have been doing only dance shows so it’s more difficult for me. I have shot for two episodes and their talent has left me speechless. Their timing is fantastic, I’m the one who’s nervous,” confides the actor, adding that his character claims to know American President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and promises to take the others on a trip around the world for five dollars. “I doubt it will ever happen though,” he signs off with a laugh.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; June 22, 2017)